Dressed in a blue velvet Victor Edelstein gown, Princess Diana made history when she danced with John Travolta at the White House in 1985.
The couple got pulses racing as they danced for 20 minutes to songs from Travolta’s hit films Grease and Saturday Night Fever.
But it is less known that the late Princess of Wales danced with more than one star that night, and among them was Magnum PI’s Tom Selleck.
The actor tells in his new memoir how he was “a little anxious” before the “shy” princess, who was visiting the United States with her husband, Prince Charles, took to the dance floor with him.
By then, an unnamed royal assistant was worried that if she and Travolta danced for too long, “rumors” might start, so Selleck was asked to intervene.
When he refused to separate the couple mid-song, the assistant reluctantly let him take over once it was over.
Selleck, 79, says he “apologized” to the “shy” princess for her bad dancing, but she “seemed to be” having the time of her life “as they moved around the floor.”
Meanwhile, the Prince of Wales, now King, danced with Selleck’s then partner, Jillie Mack, after having hit the floor with the First Lady of the United States, Nancy Reagan.
Selleck, who married Jillie in 1987, says Charles thanked his other half for “rescuing” him, after Mrs. Reagan’s friends kept “stepping on my toes.”
Dressed in a blue velvet Victor Edelstein gown, Princess Diana made history when she danced with John Travolta at the White House in 1985.
But it’s less known that the late Princess of Wales danced with more than one star that night, and among them was Magnum PI’s Tom Selleck (above). The actor tells in his new memoir how he was “a little anxious” before he and the “shy” princess, who was visiting the United States with her husband, Prince Charles, hit the runway.
Selleck and Travolta were selected along with Hollywood great Clint Eastwood to attend the state dinner hosted by President Ronald Reagan and Nancy at the White House.
Diana, then 24, paired her dress that night with a sapphire and pearl choker converted from a brooch given to her by the Queen Mother.
Selleck says in his new book, titled You Never Know, that Jillie, who is British, had been his “tutor” regarding “appropriate behavior when meeting members of the royal family.”
Diana was “charming, kind and very beautiful”, while Prince Charles was “very pleasant and well-educated in the art of making you feel important to him in the moment you shared”, he adds.
When Diana and Travolta started dancing, Selleck says he and Eastwood “exchanged a look” because they knew “what was coming.”
One of Diana’s assistants then told the actor that she wanted him to “step in” and replace Travolta during their second dance, to prevent “rumor” fears from starting.
But Selleck says he responded out loud: “I’m not going to intervene in John Travolta!”
Instead, the star held the princess’s hand after Travolta had his turn.
Princess Diana and Prince Charles were on a four-day visit to the United States. Above:
Selleck with his then-partner Jillie Mack at the glitzy White House dinner on November 9, 1985. The couple married in 1987.
Diana and Travolta got pulses racing as they danced for 20 minutes to songs from Travolta’s hit films Grease and Saturday Night Fever.
Diana and Travolta dance at the White House during their 20-minute dance
Later, Princess Diana danced with Hollywood great Clint Eastwood, while Selleck hit the floor with the first lady of the United States, Nancy Reagan.
All he knew was a ‘box step and a dip’, but he says: ‘I wasn’t going to get the Princess of Wales wet.’
He continues: ‘I apologized for my dancing. Princess Diana was charming and there was a very shy quality about her despite being well schooled in the art of conversation.
‘I must say he seemed to be having the time of his life. I was relieved that he did most of the talking. Let’s say it wasn’t my best moment as a conversationalist.
While Selleck danced with Diana, his wife joked with Prince Charles after he had hit the dance floor with Nancy Reagan and their friends.
He says Charles told him: ‘Thank you. I was so happy you rescued me. “All of Nancy’s friends kept stepping on my toes.”
Eastwood then danced with Diana and Selleck “got to dance with my friend Nancy.”
Travolta became very famous after his leading roles in Grease and Saturday Night Fever. Above: the actor at dinner.
Prince Charles smiles alongside President Ronald Reagan at the gala dinner inside the White House
The Princess of Wales smiles as she sits at the table with glamorous guests
“She was relaxed and I was relaxed,” he says.
Travolta had not been invited to bring a guest because he had already been designated to dance with Diana.
Travolta previously recalled: “I was on cloud nine. She has great rhythm. We went around and around. We did a kind of modern foxtrot and she followed me very well.
“Maybe one day we can do this in a less observed situation,” I said near the end. “That would be great,” she replied.
Diana also danced with singer Neil Diamond, who recalled at the time that he was “very excited and flattered to have been invited.”
You Never Know: A Memoir, by Tom Selleck, was published May 9 by Harper Collins
He said: ‘She was wonderful. I sang him a couple of songs but he was so overwhelmed that I don’t remember what they were. And then we danced – wow!’
A total of 88 members of American high society attended the glittering party.
In his speech, President Reagan mistakenly referred to Diana as “Princess David,” while a jet-lagged Charles forgot to toast the president when he responded.
At a later press conference, Charles was asked about Diana dancing with Travolta while she was sitting next to him.
He said: “I’m not a glove puppet so I can’t vouch for my wife, but she would be an idiot if she didn’t like dancing with John Travolta.”
The then Prince of Wales was also asked about Diana’s impressions of America. He said: ‘How many of you can answer for your wives?
The Daily Mail’s coverage of the ball. It was headlined: “Diana’s Saturday Night Fever.”
“Then they’d beat you up for doing it wrong.”
Charles and Diana’s visit to the United States lasted four days. It was the Princess of Wales’s first trip to the United States, other than when she changed planes in Los Angeles en route to a vacation in the Caribbean in 1983.
Nancy Reagan had attended the royal couple’s wedding at London’s St Paul’s Cathedral in 1981.
Charles and Diana left their young sons, Prince William, three years old, and Prince Harry, then just one year old, with nannies in the United Kingdom.
During the trip, Diana also accompanied Mrs. Reagan on a visit to a youth rehabilitation center and she and Charles attended a service at St. Paul’s Cathedral in Washington.
He also visited Arlington National Cemetery to lay wreaths for war heroes on Veterans Day.
On the last day of the trip, Charles and Diana went to Palm Beach, Florida, where Charles played a friendly game of polo and the Princess presented a trophy to the winners.
You Never Know: A Memoir, by Tom Selleck, was published May 9 by Harper Collins.
