Princess Diana Dress Worn While Dancing With John Travolta Could Fetch $450K At Auction
An iconic dress worn by Princess Diana could fetch upwards of $450,000 at an auction, reported The Daily Express. The late Princess of Wales wore the garment during a twirl on the dance floor with actor John Travolta in 1985 at the White House.
Princess Diana was captured in a now-infamous photo of herself and the actor dancing together to music from Travolta’s hit 1977 film Saturday Night Fever, while at a formal event held at the White House The royal was visiting the United States with her husband, Prince Charles, during the presidency of Ronald Reagan.
The stunning evening dress was made by designer Victor Edelstein. It is blue velvet and has a deep neckline. In the photo where the princess is seen dancing with the actor, she is also wearing a gorgeous seven-strand pearl-and-sapphire choker. The sapphire-and-diamond brooch was gifted to Diana from The Queen Mother on her wedding day, and the princess later converted the stunning piece of jewelry into an equally gorgeous necklace.
Diana also wore the dress for her last official portrait by Lord Snowden in 1997, reported CNN.
The Edelstein dress is being sold with Kerry Taylor Auctions.
“This is arguably her most iconic gown. The photos of her being twirled around the dance floor by a handsome John Travolta at the White House caused a sensation,” Lucy Bishop of the London auction house said, as reported by The Daily Express.
This is the second time the dress has been auctioned off. CNN reported that just two months before her death in 1997, the princess sold it to benefit AIDS charities. The dress at the time was purchased by a British man at the price of £420,000 as a surprise for his wife. This amount currently translates to over $544,000 U.S. dollars.
Reader’s Digest reported that Travolta stated he did not know what to expect when he danced with the late princess during the glamorous event.
“It was the president’s wife, Nancy Reagan, that said, ‘It is her wish,'” recalled the actor, stating that the moment equaled a night he would “never forget.” Travolta posted a photo of himself and Diana to his Instagram, stating the moment was a “highlight.”
Reader’s Digest also reported that it was later revealed by Princess Diana‘s butler, Paul Burrell, that the infamous dance was orchestrated by the Reagans for a photo op. Burrell revealed that Princess Diana truly wanted to dance with dance legend Mikhail Baryshnikov, rather than Travolta, because she greatly admired the ballet dancer’s work.
