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Princess Diana and Prince Charles’ White House visit created a memorable moment that defined their United States trip. But Tom Selleck had a different view on the 1985 occasion when Diana memorably danced with John Travolta. The actor gave a fiery 7-word response when asked by a fellow attendee about the spectacular moment.
Tom Selleck was told to upstage Princess Diana and John Travolta’s dance
Prince Charles and Princess Diana were invited to the White House to attend a private dinner. The couple were patrons of the exhibit “The Treasure Houses of Britain” at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. which featured over 700 objects from British country houses.
The couple attended a formal dinner, which was followed by dancing. Some of the celebrities in attendance were John Travolta, Tom Selleck, Clint Eastwood, and Neil Diamond.
As the evening progressed, First Lady Nancy Reagan approached Travolta with a special request. She said that Diana would love to dance with him, and he accepted.
Travolta and Diana danced to a couple of songs from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack as guests looked on. But, as Selleck says in his memoir You Never Know, everything changed during the 15-minute dance.
A British woman urged that Selleck and Eastwood cut into Travolta’s second dance with the Princess of Wales. She feared their continued dancing could “start rumors.”
“Clint and I said nothing. ‘Mr. Selleck, you must step in and replace him.” Selleck recalled. “I’M NOT CUTTING IN ON JOHN TRAVOLTA!” was my reply, probably in too loud a voice. She was not pleased.”
Selleck eventually stepped in to dance with Diana. He recalled, “Princess Diana was lovely, and there was a very shy quality about her in spite of her being well-schooled in the art of conversation,” Selleck writes.
What did Tom Selleck and Princess Diana talk about during their dance?
Tom Selleck recalled meeting with Princess Diana for an interview with Town & Country. He said that during their dance, he apologized for his lack of dance skills.
“I apologized. Look, I skipped Cotillion,” Selleck recalled.
“There was something called Cotillion as kids; they taught you how to dance and manners and everything else. My older brother went, and used to come home and say ‘I hated it.’ So as the younger brother, I managed to skip it,” he continued.
“But then all I could do dancing was box step like we did in high school dances, a box step, and a dip. And I wasn’t about to dip with Princess Di!”
“So I just talked. But she was very gracious and obviously had learned the skill of dealing with people and relaxing. It was certainly memorable,” Selleck concluded of his 1985 dance with the Princess of Wales.
Details of Charles and Diana’s White House Dinner
The Reagan Library website shared details of the White House dinner where Prince Charles and Princess Diana were the guests of honor. During the lavish event, guests were serenaded by a U.S. Navy harpist and flutist in the Easy Wing Foyer.
The couple were part of a receiving line, near President Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy Reagan. It was there that Charles and Diana met the guests who attended this special event.
The dinner was held in the State Dining Room. The menu included lobster mousse, chicken, brown rice and vegetables, a jicama salad, and a peach sorbet basket for dessert.
In the East Room, guests were treated to a musical performance by opera singer Leontyne Price. Both Charles and the president each gave speeches.
The dress Princess Diana wore that evening was eventually sold to a British institution for about $290,000.
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