Diana had rehearsed for weeks in secret and was performing just to please Charles. At a reception afterwards, Sleep recalled that Charles was aloof, making it embarrassingly clear that he disapproved of Diana’s performance (or was he just plain jealous because he wasn’t asked to participate?).

She showed natural star quality.” (1)Įveryone – except Charles – is thrilled by Diana’s performance. She receives a standing ovation and eight curtain calls. Not many people could handle being under such scrutiny in front of an insiderly audience on that huge Covent Garden stage. The Prince nearly fell out of his chair, especially when did the kicks over my head….I was worried she’d fall apart under the spotlight, but she totally carried it off.

He recalled his pas de deux with the princess that night : At 5’2″, Sleep is the shortest dancer ever admitted into the Royal Ballet School. Princess Diana and Wayne Sleep dance to Billy Joel's 'Uptown Girl' at Covent Garden, December 1985.ĭiana – at 5’10” – towers over her dance partner, Wayne Sleep. She is going to perform! She wears a slinky white dress and begins dancing seductively to Billy Joel’s “Uptown Girl.” Imagine Charles’s surprise when, just two numbers before the end of the show, Diana slips from the Royal Box and, minutes later, emerges on stage. They had performed a skit together – as Romeo and Juliet – and the Prince had sung an ad jingle, “Just One Cornetto.”īack to December 1985. Just the previous year, matter of fact, Charles and Di had done that very thing. Silly things happen at this event – dancers sing, singers dance, and, occasionally, a celebrity might turn up on stage unexpectedly and wow the audience. It’s a VIP evening for “Friends of Covent Garden,” composed of skits and entertainment for special patrons. They are seated at the Royal Box at the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden. It’s December – Christmastime – and the two of them are out on the town together in London. Princess Diana arrives at the Royal Opera House, London.

Princess diana royal opera house