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Key Points Princess Diana and John Travolta’s iconic White House dance almost faced a last-minute interruption. Another famous face resisted pressure to cut in, allowing Diana and Travolta’s fairytale moment to continue. The dance remains one of pop culture’s most cherished and memorable moments, 40 years later. Princess Diana’s fairytale dance with John Travolta at the White House is still remembered 40 years later, but behind the glitz and glamour of the event, a last-minute twist nearly kept the princess and the movie star from completing their performance. During their first joint visit to the United States, Diana and her husband, then-Prince Charles, attended an intimate 80-guest White House dinner on November 9, 1985, reported The Reagan Library. The star-studded guest list included Travolta, Neil Diamond, Clint Eastwood, Tom Selleck, and astronaut Alan B. Shepard. The event celebrated Charles and Diana as patrons of The Treasure Houses of Britain: Five Hundred Years of Private Patronage and Art Collecting at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. But the star-studded night became legendary when Diana shared the dance floor with John Travolta. The actor later described the moment as “storybook” in an interview with Inside Edition. Nancy Reagan asked Travolta if he would dance with the princess, and he agreed. Parade Daily🎬 SIGN UP for Parade’s Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬 “My heart started racing as I tapped her on the shoulder,” Travolta said. “She turned with a bashful dip and said yes.” The pair then danced to a medley of songs from Travolta’s films Saturday Night Fever and Grease, creating an unforgettable fairytale moment that has endured for 40 years. Diana and John Travolta’s dance was almost interrupted However, Princess Diana and John Travolta’s moment in the spotlight was almost interrupted by another famous face, Tom Selleck, who was asked to cut in on the pair’s 15-minute dance by a fellow partygoer who feared that if Travolta and Diana continued to dance, rumors about them would swirl. Selleck said in his memoir, You Never Know, as reported by USA Today, that a female partygoer suggested, “Mr. Selleck, you must step in and replace him. ‘I’M NOT CUTTING IN ON JOHN TRAVOLTA!’ was my reply, probably in too loud a voice. She was not pleased.” “We slipped away from all the dancers and moved to a spot slightly around the corner. By now, John and Princess Di were dancing to an up-tempo number and rocking out. Everybody else stopped dancing and formed a circle around them, clapping their hands. Clint and I stood our ground.” Selleck later danced with the Princess of Wales, telling Town & Country, “She was very gracious and obviously had learned the skill of dealing with people and relaxing. It was certainly memorable.” Princess Diana and John Travolta’s White House dance remains one of the most enchanting moments in pop culture history. Even 40 years later, royal watchers still remember it as a magical and unforgettable evening.
