John Travolta reveals ‘storybook moment’ Nancy Reagan told him it was Princess Diana’s ‘fantasy’ to dance with him at White House Ball in 1985
- John Travolta recalled the moment he danced with Princess Diana in 1985
- Said Nancy Reagan told him it was Diana’s fantasy to dance with him
- Diana’s visit to the White House was part of her and Prince Charles’ first official trip to the US.
John Travolta has recalled the moment he danced with Princess Diana at the White House in 1985, revealing Nancy Reagan told him it was the royal’s fantasy to dance with him.
Speaking in a new documentary, In Their Own Words, which aired last night on PBS, the 67-year-old actor described the ‘storybook’ moment he danced with Diana in photos that were seen around the world.
‘About 10 o’clock at night, Nancy Reagan tapped on my shoulder and said, “The princess, her fantasy is to dance with you,’ the Saturday Night Fever star explainedd
John Travolta has recalled the moment he danced with Princess Diana at the White House in 1985, revealing Nancy Reagan told him it was the royal’s fantasy to dance with him.
‘”Would you like to dance with her tonight?”. And I said, “Well of course”‘ he explained.
‘My heart starts to race, you know, and I tap [Diana] on the shoulder and she turns around and looks at me, and she had that kind of bashful dip [of her chin] that she did, and she looked up at me, and I said, “Would you care to dance with me?”.’
‘It was a storybook moment.
‘We bowed when it was over, and, you know, she was off, and I was off, and my carriage turned into a pumpkin.’
Diana’s visit to the White House was part of her and Prince Charles’ first official trip to the US. The couple had been married for four years and just welcomed their second child, Prince Harry.
Photos of the dance were captured by then-chief White House photographer Pete Souza showing Diana in a famous midnight blue Victor Edelstein evening gown.
Diana’s visit to the White House was part of her and Prince Charles’ first official trip to the US. The couple had been married for four years and just welcomed their second child, Prince Harry. Princess Diana is pictures with
Nancy Reagan told John Travolta it was Diana’s ‘fantasy’ to dance with him
Last summer, Kensington Palace put the ‘Travolta’ dress on display alongside original sketches that were created for her during the design process.
Designed over an 11-year period, the Princess would regularly visit Victor Edelstein at his shop in Kensington during the process.
She was spotted wearing the gown on a number of other prestigious occasions including a state visit to Austria in 1986 and for her famous portrait by Lord Snowden in 1997.
Diana auctioned off the dress before her death to raise funds for Aids Charities in June 1997 for £100,000.
The Princess of Wales visited Victor Edelstein at his shop in Kensington during the 11-year design period of the iconic gown. Pictured: Diana and former US President Ronald Reagan
The floor-sweeping gown dubbed the ‘Travolta’ dress, has increased in value throughout the years with the Historic Royal Palaces purchasing it for £265,000 at auction last year.
Speaking to Esquire Mexico in April, John Travolta added that it was an ‘honour and great privilege’ to dance with Diana.
‘Introducing myself to Diana in the proper way, conveying confidence and asking her to be my dance partner was a complicated mission,’ he said.
Eleri Lynn who is the curator at Historic Royal Palaces, gushed that they’re delighted to have acquired the dress 20 years after it first left Kensington Palace. Pictured: The exhibition
‘Think of the moment. We are in the White House. It’s midnight. The whole scene is like a dream.’
‘I go up to her, touch her on the shoulder, ask her to dance. She turns around and when she sees me, she displays that captivating smile, somewhat sad, and accepts my invitation.”
‘here we were, dancing together like in a fairy tale. Who could imagine that something like this is going to happen to you one day? I was smart enough to register it in my memory as a very special, magical moment’.
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