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‘Blue Bloods’ Star Tom Selleck and Clint Eastwood Dance with Princess Diana in Vintage 1985 Photos

The photos of Princess Diana dancing with John Travolta in 1985 at the White House are iconic. But Travolta was joined by Blue Bloods star Tom Selleck and Clint Eastwood.

Blue Bloods star Tom Selleck, who then was dazzling audiences as Magnum P.I., danced with Princess Diana. So did Clint Eastwood. The whole country was repeating Eastwood’s “Go head, make my day,” line from Eastwood’s most recent Dirty Harry movie. But he was on his best behavior with the shy, beautiful princess.

Neil Diamond performed at the White House function and also serenaded Princess Diana as the two danced with each other. Maybe he hummed Heartlight, his theme song from ET, in her ear.

Earlier this year, Travolta recalled memories of the evening, describing it as one of the most magical moments of his life. That prompted Pete Souza, a photographer for the presidencies of both Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama, to post some of his pictures from the night on his Instagram.

‘Blue Bloods’ Star Tom Selleck, Clint Eastwood, John Travolta and Princess Diana’s Special Evening

The event was an official state dinner at the White House, featuring Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy, along with Princess Diana and her husband, Prince Charles. It was the first time the two British royals visited the United States as a married couple. Because Nancy Reagan planned the party, there was a decided Hollywood influence.

Plus, the draw was spectacular. The world was entranced with Princess Diana, who married Charles four years before. More than 750 million people watched her wedding in 1981.

The dinner in honor of Princess Diana and Prince Charles featured a main course of lobster mousseline with Maryland crab and peach sorbet. The room was decorated with peach-colored roses. And the official entertainment was provided by opera star Leontyne Price.

But the evening’s magical moments were around midnight on the dance floor. Nancy Reagan suggested to Travolta to ask Princess Diana to dance. The First Lady also wanted Tom Selleck and Clint Eastwood to entertain Princess Diana on the dance floor.

Songs from the soundtrack of Saturday Night Fever and Grease were playing for Travolta and Diana. After about 15 minutes, the Blue Bloods star cut in. Then Diana danced with Eastwood. She reportedly wanted to dance with Mikhail Baryshnikov, the Russian ballet star. But Nancy Reagan already set up the photo op for Travolta, Selleck and Eastwood.

Eastwood and Princess Diana met again during the London premiere for his movie The Fugitive.

Sadly, Princess Diana died in 1997 from injuries she suffered in a Paris car accident.

In 2019, the dress Princess Diana wore for the party at the White House fetched an enormous price. The evening gown was a deep blue and cut off the shoulder. Couturier Victor Edelstein designed the gown for Diana. The dress commanded an auction price of $280,000.

John Travolta, earlier this year, spoke about the dance from 1985.

“Think of the setting,” he told Esquire Mexico. “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 if it were a fairytale.”