Princess Diana’s Surprise Sassy and Seductive Gift to Prince Charles Sparked a 3-Word, Chilly Royal Response
Princess Diana once decided to surprise her husband, Prince Charles, with an unforgettable gift of love. Unfortunately, her sassy and seductive gesture received a chilly royal response from her shocked spouse.
Prince Charles was less than receptive to Princess Diana’s captivating gift
In December 1985, 24-year-old Princess Diana gave her husband a present he would never forget. It was Diana’s way of impressing Charles with a talent long hidden from those who did not live within the palace walls.
Thus, in front of an audience of 2,500 during a charity event at the Royal Opera House in London, Princess Diana danced to the Billy Joel song “Uptown Girl.” She performed alongside male dancer Wayne Sleep.
Sleep said in an interview with 48 Hours that he signaled to Diana from the stage and she stepped away from Prince Charles. “The music started, Billy Joel’s ‘Uptown Girl’ came up, and nobody knew. She came out, stopped, and looked at the audience beautifully,” Sleep recounted.
“There was a gasp from the audience of 2,500 people, who took an intake of breath all at the same time. They were speechless,” Sleep recalled.
But after a thunderous round of audience applause, Diana left the stage and looked toward Charles, anticipating an enthusiastic response. However, she was met with a frosty attitude.
Charles reportedly told Diana, “Well done, dear,” and began speaking to someone else. He likely didn’t think it was appropriate for his wife, the future queen, to dance so seductively on stage wearing a slinky dress.
‘The Crown’ depicted Charles’ reaction a bit more intensely
The Netflix series The Crown depicted Prince Charles’ reaction to Princess Diana’s sassy dance a bit more intensely. The season 4, episode 9 installment starred Emma Corrin and Josh O’Connor.
In the clip, Charles is seen in the royal box watching his wife of four years intently. His emotionless expression says more about his reaction to seeing his wife on stage than any words could.
However, the series also drops the sound, as Charles watches his wife open up publicly, exposing this hidden talent to the audience. One could interpret it as jealousy over their enthusiastic response or a true longing for her that he tried to suppress.
In the series, Charles verbally attacks Diana in their car on the way home. “What were you thinking?” he asks.
Diana’s response? “I was only trying to make you happy.” Charles continued, “That grotesque, mortifying display had nothing to do with me or my happiness.”
Reportedly, Charles was more upset that Diana had upstaged him that evening. “Public displays like that horrify me,” Charles says in The Crown. “Everything I do seems to horrify you,” Diana responds.
Princess Diana’s dance teacher’s memoir turning into a documentary
Per The Hollywood Reporter, Sphere Media has secured the rights to Dancing With Diana: A Memoir by Scottish/Canadian dancer Anne Allan. Allan was Princess Diana’s dance teacher from 1981 through 1990.
A 90-minute feature documentary will be based on the memoir. Allan states: “I am thrilled that Sphere Media and Two Rivers Media have chosen to bring to screen Dancing with Diana. As a Glaswegian who lives in Canada, this is a very special partnership for me, that I’m so looking forward to seeing realized!”
“During my time with the Princess, I was so fortunate to witness not only Diana’s profound love of dance but a much more personal side of her. I hope that viewers of the documentary will appreciate this fresh look as well as discover a deeper understanding of just how extraordinary she was,” Allan concludes.
Prince Charles’ reaction to her performance didn’t deter Princess Diana from continuing to study dance. It remained a lifelong passion.
