Princess Diana was 'visibly blushing' while dancing with Neil Diamond at the White House, photographer says
- Princess Diana danced with Neil Diamond during a 1985 gala dinner at the White House.
- Pete Souza, a former White House photographer, captured the moment and shared the photo on Instagram.
- Diana also danced with John Travolta, who said dancing with her was "as if it were a fairytale."
Princess Diana danced with several celebrities when she attended a White House dinner nearly four decades ago, but she "visibly" blushed while dancing with Neil Diamond.
In November 1985, the Prince and Princess of Wales arrived to Washington D.C. as part of a three-day trip to the U.S., The Washington Post reported. Their first day ended with a star-studded White House dinner hosted by then-President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan.
While Diana took a spin with celebrities like John Travolta and Clint Eastwood, former White House photographer Pete Souza recalled her memorable dance with Neil Diamond.
"The one rock-solid remembrance I have is that Diana was visibly blushing when she danced with Neil," wrote Souza in an Instagram post. "In the photograph, you can see that her cheeks are a bit red but in the moment it was even more obvious."
Souza, Chief Official White House Photographer for Reagan and Barack Obama, said that Diamond also performed that night at the dinner - and may have even sung for Diana.
"Accompanied by the military band, Neil sang a few of his songs. I distinctly remember him singing, 'You Don't Bring Me Flowers,'" Souza wrote. "My recollection-and I can't be sure this is correct-is that he continued singing this song as he danced with her."
In another Instagram post, Souza added that Diana "danced that night with President Reagan, Tom Selleck, Clint Eastwood and Neil Diamond. She did not dance with Prince Charles."
The story was first reported by People.
During a new interview with Esquire Mexico, John Travolta shared details about his dance with Diana and how it was like a "fairytale."
"I didn't think they'd ask me to dance with her. I had the great privilege and honor of doing so, and I thought, 'There must be a reason for doing this and I better give it my all," Travolta, 67, told the publication.
"We were at the White House. It's midnight. The stage is like a dream. I approach her, touch her elbow, invite her to dance. She spins around and gives me that captivating smile, just a little sad, and accepts my invitation. And there we were, dancing together as if it were a fairytale," he said.
Travolta, who danced with Diana to a "Saturday Night Fever" medley, said he committed the moment to memory.
He said: "Who could ever imagine something like that would happen to them someday? I was smart enough to stamp it in my memory as a very special, magical moment."