Even though Tom Selleck’s 1985 White House dinner dance with Princess Diana is ingrained in popular culture history, he also had a dance with the Princess of Wales, as he discloses in his new biography, You Never Know.
‘Magnum, P.I.’ actor remembers being excited to meet Diana and Prince Charles (now King Charles III) at the state banquet that President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan were hosting. But their warmth soon disarmed him, and he thought Diana especially endearing.
Selleck was requested to join Travolta for a dance following the latter’s famous twirl with Diana in her gorgeous off-the-shoulder gown. He was hesitant at first, but in the end he agreed. Selleck calls Diana “lovely” and says that their cordial exchanges helped to relax him.
“I gotta say she seemed to be having the time of her life,” he says. “Let’s just say it was not my finest hour as a conversationalist.”
It’s interesting to note that Selleck danced with Prince Charles that evening with Jillie Mack, his future wife. With Selleck and First Lady Nancy Reagan sharing a dance, the evening came to a lovely close.
In addition to providing a unique look into a remarkable evening, Selleck’s memoir divulges a little-known fact about Princess Diana’s fascinating visit to the White House.
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