In 1985, the star, who starred in "Grease," was invited to a party at the White House, and his dance floor dazzled members of the royal family— an old story — or at least a modern version of pop culture. The elegant and kind Princess Diana and the king of the screen, John Travolta, danced on the dance floor.
In fact, it started out like any fairy tale dance scene: "At midnight, I had to pat her on the shoulder and say, 'Do you want to dance?'" Travolta said in a 2007 interview.
Thankfully, Diana accepted an invitation from a Hollywood actor at the White House party in November 1985. He was wearing a black suit. She wore a navy velvet Victor Edelstein dress, which was sold for $311,000 in 2013 and then auctioned off by Kerry Taylor in December 2019 with a sapphire pearl necklace. Their dance became one of the most memorable meetings between Hollywood and the British royal family.
Diana accepted Travolta's invitation
In 1985, Princess Diana and Prince Charles had just arrived in the United States and began their royal journey to the United States. President Ronald Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan wanted them to be stylishly welcomed on their first night. They hosted a banquet for 80 guests at the White House, inviting celebrities from various fields, including Tom Seleck, Gloria Vanderbilt, Estée Lauder, Mikhail Barishnikov and opera singer Leon Tyne Price.
There were also invitations from Diana herself, including those from Travolta, Clint Eastwood and Neil Diamond. In an interview with The Washington Post, Diamond said: "I was nervous, my heart was on and off." "I'd rather face twenty thousand spectators. (She also asked Diana Ross to attend, but she was unable to attend.) )
All-star events included intimate performances, with Diamond singing "You Don't Send Me Flowers" and Price singing "SummerTime." But as the clock ticked toward midnight, the real climax of the night was coming.
The first lady encouraged Travolta to invite Diana to dance
At the time, 24-year-old Diana married Charles in 1981 for four years; Travolta, 31, married Kelly Preston six years later in 1991. But after receiving a private invitation, Travolta knew he couldn't miss the opportunity, especially after analyzing her dancing skills.
"I've seen her dance with Charles before, so I know she's awesome. But she looks like she's guiding [him]," he told the Daily Telegraph. But he was still unsure whether it was the right thing to do until an unexpected person pushed him. He explained: "I didn't know or expected me to be dancing with Lady Diana, it was the president's wife, Nancy Reagan, who said, 'This is her wish.'" ”
Just then, he walked over and invited her. Travolta went on to say, "She turned around and lowered her head like Princess Diana, and we danced for 15 minutes."
Travolta felt like Diana's "Prince Charming"
Travolta immediately informed her that he would take care of her on the dance floor. In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, he said: "I know the whole world is watching this, so I feel like I really need to let her know what I'm going to do." "I put my hand in the middle of her back and put her hand down so her hand wouldn't be that high, which made her believe we were going to do well."
As their feet slid on the floor, there was a magic that only they could create from such a different world, a wordless connection. In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Travolta said it could be because of their experiences in "celebrity prisons" and "the experience of two victims dancing together".
Whatever the case, the spark is there. He told the Daily Telegraph: "She did have something cute and girly about her, and I think I took her back to her childhood, when she probably watched Grease." "In that moment, I was her Prince Charming."
The actress said Diana "made my life"
Looking back, Travolta couldn't help but smile. "I'll never forget. I'm honored to have this experience, and I know it was a highlight of my time in America, and it was her favorite moment. "So I feel like I made her life better, she made my life better, and I'm sorry she's not here."
That night, Diana also danced with the likes of President Reagan, Eastwood and Selek, but most iconicly the actor who played Danny Zuco. He told the Daily Telegraph, "She's a real person." I think part of the reason is that she follows the principle that 'as long as everyone else is equally important, it doesn't matter if you're important yourself'. ”
In an interview with ABC News, when asked if she would bring back something from the 80s, Travolta immediately went to the prom. "That was one of the best parts of my life."