The Dress Princess Diana Wore While Dancing With John Travolta Is Up For Sale

A few of Princess Diana’s garments are up on the auction block. And come December 9th, one of her most famous dresses will be for sale: the off-the-shoulder Victor Edelstein blue evening gown that she wore to dance with John Travolta at a White House state dinner in 1985. It’s expected to sell for 250,000 to 350,000 pounds (about $325,000 to $450,000) as part of Kerry Taylor Auctions’ upcoming “Passion for Fashion” auction.

While Diana wore the dress on multiple occasions, it’s definitely most commonly associated with the Travolta moment. The actor spun the then-24-year-old princess around the dance floor to tunes from his own hit film, Saturday Night Fever, resulting in iconic images.

While promoting his role in Hairspray in 2007, Travolta described the night to Dutch television station Één. “I didn’t know or expect to dance with Princess Diana, and it was the president’s wife, Nancy Reagan, that said, ‘It is her wish,’ he recounted. “At midnight, I had to tap her on her shoulder, and I had to say, ‘Would you care to dance.’ She turned around and dipped her head in that Lady Diana way and we were off for 15 minutes dancing. I’ll never forget it. I’m so honored that I was able to experience it, and I know for a fact that it was a highlight of being in the United States; it was her favorite moment. So I feel I made her life better; she made my life better; and I’m very sorry that she’s not here.”

During a Good Morning America appearance in 2016, Travolta was asked if there was anything from the ‘80s that he’d like to bring back to the 2010s. He said he’d love to dance with the princess again. “Yes, I danced with Princess Diana in 1986, I believe,” he said. “That was one of the highlights of my life, so that’s probably the best moment of the eighties.”