Ten iconic dresses worn by the late Diana, Princess of Wales are expected to raise a huge sum when auctioned by Kerry Taylor on the 19th of March. The collection was originally bought at a charity sale held in New York in June 1997, arranged by the Princess a few months before her death. The upcoming auction will feature gowns by designers including Zandra Rhodes, Catherine Walker and Bruce Oldfield. The highlight of the collection however will certainly be the midnight blue velvet Victor Edelstein gown that Diana wore to the White House for a State Dinner held by President and Mrs. Reagan. The dress and that State Dinner became famous when she danced with Saturday Night Fever star John Travolta, an experience Travolta later described as being “like a fairytale.”
It was a memorable evening at the White House for many reasons. The star-studded guest list that included Neil Diamond, Clint Eastwood, and Tom Selleck to name just a few dined a perfect menu that included lobster mousse. But what most don’t know is that Princess Diana had actually requested that John Travolta be there for that dance and that Mrs. Reagan as the perfect hostess made sure that all of the princess’s requests came true.
The Washington Post ran Travolta’s reaction to the moment the following Monday:
“Observers at the party the night before suggested Diana had indeed enjoyed the dance. The royal couple didn’t leave the White House until 12:30, according to the embassy, despite the accumulated effect of a day spent traversing the city. While guest Neil Diamond, a favorite of Diana’s and not scheduled to perform, sang “September Morn” and “You Don’t Send Me Flowers,” the guests danced for more than half an hour. The royals and the Reagans took the first round (Nancy with Charles, Ronald with Diana), followed by the Diana-Travolta performance. The crowd of fewer than 100 artists, dancers, actors and others reportedly stayed off the dance floor and watched.
According to Nancy Reagan’s press secretary Elaine Crispen, Diana and Travolta performed something that “was certainly more energetic than a fox trot. I don’t know what you’d call it — rock or whatever.” After the party ended, Olympic swimmer Steve Lundquist said that he was too nervous to ask the princess for a dance and added, “She certainly holds her own. John Travolta is a pretty hard guy to butt in on. I would hate to butt in on John Travolta.” Travolta, who also danced with Nancy Reagan, said Diana “was charming. I found her refreshing and down-to-earth.” And her dancing, he said, was “good. She has style and rhythm.” Diana offered no critique of her partner.
