It was a fairy-tale moment in 1985 when John Travolta, one of the biggest Hollywood stars of the time, danced with a real-life princess in the White House. Photos of Princess Diana dancing with John Travolta have gone down in the pop culture hall of fame as iconic. The two took to the dance floor at the White House during a dinner hosted in honour of Prince Charles and Princess Diana on November 9, 1985. In the years since, the Saturday Night Fever star has spoken about the moment often in interviews, once referring to it as "one of the highlights of my life".
John Travolta, 67, recently spoke to Esquire Spain about the time he danced with the late Princess Diana in the White House. Reminiscing about the moment, he said: "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," he said.
"She spins around and gives me that captivating smile, just a little sad, and accepts my invitation. And there we were, dancing together as it were a fairytale."
A photo from the unforgettable night was shared on Instagram by the photographer who took them - former chief official White House photographer Pete Souza. "I made this photograph more than 35 years ago, but remember the moment as if it were yesterday," he wrote.
The photograph has registered more than 1.8 lakh 'likes' and over 3,000 comments on the photo and video sharing platform.
In the caption, Mr Souza also revealed some little-known details about the night. "During her dance with John Travolta, the military band played a medley of songs from Travolta's movie, Saturday Night Fever," he said.
The former chief White House photographer noted that Princess Diana also danced with President Reagan, Tom Selleck, Clint Eastwood and Neil Diamond that night. She did not dance with Prince Charles.
In 1985, Prince Charles and Princess Diana had been married for about four years. She had just given birth to their second son, Prince Harry, a couple of months before the White House dinner.
