Princess Diana's Unexpected Dance Performance To ‘Uptown Girl’ Left The Audience Speechless

May 25, 2021 by apost team

Princess Diana, also called the People's Princess, is remembered fondly worldwide for her impeccable fashion style, kind-hearted manner, and charity work. Diana's early death in 1997 devasted the British royal family and fans across the globe. 
Princess Diana may have passed away more than two decades ago in a tragic car accident, but she remains one of the most iconic members of the Royal Family throughout history.

Even if you did not agree with some of her actions and choices, she was a truly unique woman who managed to always stand out in a crowd. 
Her influence is still felt today, which is why she is still often honored in various ways. Whether it's through her charitable work, her honesty about mental health, or her stylish legacy, Princess Diana was indeed one of a kind.

Princess Diana was married to Prince Charles on July 29, 1981. However, their marriage eventually had too many strains to continue. Prince Charles was 12 years older than Princess Diana, and eventually, an extramarital affair began. Diana was open about the troubles in her marriage to Charles and even confronted Camilla about their affair in 1989.

Diana and Charles separated in 1992, just a decade into their marriage. The issue could no longer stay hidden from the public once Charles confessed to the infidelity claims in 1994. However, even before that, close observers of the royal family had had an inkling as to what was happening.

Although Princess Diana and Prince Charle's marriage was a source of much controversy up until and even after their divorce, Princess Diana had a surprise up her sleeve one night during their marriage. Her dance performance of "Uptown Girl" might not have stunned her husband, but it certainly impressed the audience.

Read on to learn more details about Princess Diana's dance performance to Billy Joel's "Uptown Girl." 

Diana, Princess of Wales, was universally loved by not only the British public but by people the world over. Born on July 1, 1961, Diana was the fourth of five children. Unfortunately, Princess Diana's life was taken too soon as she passed away from a car crash at the young age of 36. Throughout her life and royal service, she used her influence to enact good, spending much of her time campaigning for humanitarian causes that improved the lives of others.

She sat with people who were ill, helping to break the stigma of then-new diseases HIV and AIDS. These are the reasons she became known as the "People's Princess," — she was a shining beacon of light in the royal family.

Diana and Charles's marriage became so troubled that it affected the entire royal family. While everyone seemed to turn their backs on the princess, the late Prince Philip reportedly took Diana's side. Surprisingly, Philip and Diana didn't have that much of a close relationship when she was still married to Charles, and taking her side may have seemed strange.

He had been reported to treat Diana unkindly previous to the couples' divorce. When the cracks in the couple's relationship became too public and painful to bear, the couple divorced in 1996. Princess Diana passed away in a car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997 — just one year after her divorce.

However, before the couple's divorce, Diana surprised her then-husband with an unexpected dance performance while they were at a gala performance at the storied venue in December of 1985. 

Halfway through the performance, the princess snuck out of the Royal Box to meet with dancer Wayne Sleep. The two took to the stage to dance to Princess Diana's choice song, "Uptown Girl" by Billy Joel. 

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In an interview with The Guardian, Sleep revealed that Diana had approached him for dance lessons in the early 1980s. Although he was too busy on tour as a professional dancer, the pair linked up years later to prepare for the "Uptown Girl" performance. "It was all top secret," Sleep said. 

According to Sleep, the pair met privately to rehearse in a studio in West London. Sleep said about Diana:

"She was in leg-warmers and a leotard. My first thought was, she's too tall to dance with me, I'll be a laughing stock: I'm 5ft 2in and she's 5ft 11in. But I soon realized she had a good sense of humor, and that we could have some fun with our height difference. She'd already decided on the music: Billy Joel's Uptown Girl."

In an interview with Vulture, Sleep explained Princess Diana's song choice. He said:

"There was a music video that went with the song and she must've seen the video. There's a lovely lady with a hat—she's very chic and gets out of a car. Diana knew she could play that role of sophistication."

According to Vanity Fair, one of Diana's biographers, Tina Brown, said Prince Charles wasn't too impressed by the performance. She wrote:

"It was embarrassingly clear that he had not been ravished by the spectacle of his wife en pointe. His disappointing response, when it leaked, was interpreted as frigid disapproval of Diana's lapse in royal etiquette."

However, Sleep said:

"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."

What do you think of the story about Princess Diana's dance performance? Let us know your thoughts, and be sure to pass this on to other Princess Diana fans!