Princess Diana’s 15-year marriage to Prince Charles was marked by numerous public displays of their contrasting personalities. One of the most memorable instances occurred during Charles’s 37th birthday celebration in 1985, when Diana surprised him with an unforgettable performance.
As a special gift, the princess took to the stage with ballet star Wayne Sleep, performing a three-minute dance to Billy Joel’s 80s hit Uptown Girl. The performance brought the 2,500 VIP audience to their feet, earning uproarious applause and eight curtain calls.
However, Charles’s reaction was far from enthusiastic. When the 25-year-old Diana left the stage, brimming with excitement and seeking his approval, Charles simply responded with, “Well done, darling,” before turning his attention elsewhere.
No video footage exists of this legendary moment, and only a few photographs were taken by the in-house photographer, who initially vowed not to release them. Eventually, these photos were sold in 1995 for around $250,000.
The performance has since become iconic, even being recreated in The Crown, where Charles is portrayed as furious over what he viewed as a “grotesque, mortifying display.”
This bold act by Diana, celebrated by the public but met with indifference by Charles, offered a revealing glimpse into the stark differences between the couple’s personalities and their tumultuous relationship.
Princess Diana and Wayne Sleep performed a three-minute dance to Billy Joel’s 80s hit Uptown Girl to uproarious applause from the audience in 1985
The dance number was perhaps the most high-profile example of Diana and Charles’s different personalities. Pictured: The during their Australia tour in 1985
No video footage exists of the now stuff-of-legend moment, and only a few pictures were taken by the in-house photographer who swore to never release them, although he did eventually sell them in 1995 for around $250,000
The duo’s iconic 1985 dance was recreated in Season four of The Crown (above) with Jay Webb playing the flamboyant star accompanying the Princess, portrayed by Emma Corrin
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It was Diana’s decision to do the secret performance with Sleep at the annual VIP show for Friends of Covent Garden at London‘s Royal Opera House in December 1985.
Sleep at the time was a well-known British dancer who performed for some years with the Royal Ballet, but when he was approached by Diana he expressed scepticism that they could perform together due to his small 5ft 2in frame.
But they quickly became friends with Sleep saying they bonded over ‘schoolboy humour’ after Diana, who became a lifelong friend, called him a ‘naughty boy’ after he confessed to having a ‘very late night’ during their first early morning meeting.
Diana had studied classical ballet as a child but grew too tall at 5ft 10in to dance at the highest level but she still loved dancing throughout her life and was a supporter of the English National Ballet.
Years after the famous performance, Sleep wrote in The Guardian: ‘She loved the freedom dancing gave her.’
The duo practised in various locations such as Sleep’s personal studio in Kensington or in the drawing room of Kensington Palace to keep the Press in the dark about her movements.
The only people who were in on the secret plan were a detective and one of Diana’s ladies-in-waiting Anne Beckwith-Smith – although neither knew what the actual dance was.
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Diana and Wayne Sleep at the ‘Bits and Pieces’ show at the Royalty Theatre in London in 1989
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Sleep said when the princess walked on stage: ‘Everyone’s mouths gaped open. There was an intake of breath like they couldn’t believe it’
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One the performance itself Sleep said ‘it wasn’t a serious dance by any means’ but it ‘brought the house down with humor because the audience didn’t know what was coming next’
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During the dance they did double pirouettes and a lift, and there was also a combination of jazz hip rolls
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Although there was just the two of them, they ran the diagonals and really covered the whole stage
