Dressed in a blue velvet Victor Edelstein gown, Princess Diana made history when she danced with John Travolta at the White House in 1985.

The pair set pulses racing as they jived for 20 minutes to songs from Travolta’s hit films Grease and Saturday Night Fever.

But it’s less well-known that the late Princess of Wales danced with more than one other star that night, and among them was Magnum PI’s Tom Selleck.

The actor tells in his new memoir how he was a ‘little anxious’ before the ‘shy’ Princess – who was on a visit to the US with her husband Prince Charles – took to the floor with him.

By then, an unnamed royal aide had been getting worried that if she and Travolta danced for too long, ‘rumours’ might start and so Selleck was asked to step in.

When he refused to break the pair up mid song, the aide reluctantly let him take over after it had finished.

Selleck, 79, says he ‘apologised’ to the ‘shy’ princess for his bad dancing, but she ‘seemed to be ‘having the time of her life’ as they moved around the floor.

Meanwhile, the Prince of Wales – now the King – danced with Selleck’s then partner Jillie Mack after earlier taking to the floor with US First Lady Nancy Reagan.

Selleck, who married in Jillie in 1987, says Charles thanked his other half for having ‘rescued’ him, after Mrs Reagan’s friends kept ‘stepping on my toes’.

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Dressed in a blue velvet Victor Edelstein gown, Princess Diana made history when she danced with John Travolta at the White House in 1985

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But it’s less well-known that the late Princess of Wales danced with more than one other star that night, and among them was Magnum PI’s Tom Selleck (above). The actor tells in his new memoir how he was a ‘little anxious’ before he and the ‘shy’ Princess – who was on a visit to the US with her husband Prince Charles – took to the floor

Inside Princess Diana’s White House dinner with Tom Selleck in 1985

Selleck and Travolta were selected alongside Hollywood great Clint Eastwood to attend the state dinner hosted by President Ronald Reagan and Nancy at the White House.

Diana, who was then 24, teamed her dress that night with a sapphire and pearl choker converted from a brooch given to her by the Queen Mother.

Selleck says in his new book, titled You Never Know, that Jillie, who is British, had been his ‘tutor’ in ‘proper behaviour when meeting members of the royal family‘.

Diana was ‘charming, gracious and very beautiful’, whilst Prince Charles was ‘very nice and well schooled in the art of making you feel like you were important to him in your moment together,’ he adds.

When Diana and Travolta started dancing, Selleck says he and Eastwood ‘exchanged a look’ because they knew ‘what might be coming’.

The actor was then told by one of Diana’s aides that she wanted him to ‘step in’ and replace Travolta during their second dance, to prevent fears of ‘rumours’ starting.

But Selleck says he replied in a loud voice: ‘I’m not cutting in on John Travolta!’

Instead, the star took the Princess’s hand after Travolta had his turn.

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Princess Diana and Prince Charles were on a four-day visit to the US. Above:

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Selleck with his then partner Jillie Mack at the glitzy White House dinner, November 9, 1985. The couple married in 1987

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Diana and Travolta set pulses racing as they jived for 20 minutes to songs from Travolta’s hit films Grease and Saturday Night Fever

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Diana and Travolta jive across the floor at the White House during their 20-minute dance

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Princess Diana later danced with Hollywood great Clint Eastwood, whilst Selleck to the floor with US First Lady Nancy Reagan

All he knew was a ‘box step and a dip’, but says: ‘I was not going to dip the Princess of Wales’.

He goes on: ‘I apologized for my dancing. Princess Diana was lovely, and there was a very shy quality about her in spite of her being well schooled in the art of conversation.

‘I gotta say she seemed to be having the time of her life. I was relieved she talked most of the time. Let’s just say it was not my finest hour as a conversationalist.’

While Selleck was dancing with Diana, his wife was jiving with Prince Charles after he had taken to the floor with Nancy Reagan and her friends.

He says Charles told her: ‘Thank you. I was so happy you rescued me. All of Nancy’s friends kept stepping on my toes.’

Eastwood then danced with Diana and Selleck ‘got to dance with my friend Nancy’.

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Travolta was hugely famous after his starring roles in Grease and Saturday Night Fever. Above: The actor at the dinner

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Prince Charles smiles next to President Ronald Reagan at the gala dinner inside the White House

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The Princess of Wales smiles while seated at the table alongside glamorous guests

‘She was relaxed, and I was relaxed,’ he says.

Travolta had not been invited to take a guest because he had already been marked out to dance with Diana.

Travolta previously recalled: ‘I was on cloud nine. She has great rhythm. We did spins and turns. We did a kind of modern foxtrot and she followed me very well.

“Maybe someday we’ll get to do this in a less-watched situation,” I said near the end. “That would be great,” she replied.’

Diana also danced with singer Neil Diamond, who recalled at the time that he was ‘so excited and flattered to be invited’.

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You Never Know: A Memoir, by Tom Selleck, was published on May 9 by Harper Collins

He said: ‘She was quite wonderful. I sang a couple of numbers for her but I was so overwhelmed that I can’t remember what they were. And then we danced – wow!’

The glittering party was attended by a total of 88 members of American high society.

In his speech, President Reagan mistakenly referred to Diana as ‘Princess David’, whilst a jet-lagged Charles forgot to toast the President when he made a reply.

At a subsequent press conference, Charles was asked about Diana’s dance with Travolta as she sat alongside him.

He said: ‘I am not a glove puppet so I can’t answer for my wife but she would be an idiot if she didn’t enjoy dancing with John Travolta.

The then Prince of Wales was also asked about Diana’s impressions of America. He said: ‘How many of you manage to answer for your wives?

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The Daily Mail’s coverage of the dance. It was headlined: ‘Diana’s Saturday Night Fever’

‘You’d get beaten up afterwards for getting it wrong.’

Charles and Diana’s visit stateside lasted for four days. It was the Princess of Wales’s first trip to America – besides when she changed planes in Los Angeles on the way to a Caribbean holiday in 1983.

Nancy Reagan had attended the royal couple’s wedding in St Paul’s Cathedral in London in 1981.

Charles and Diana left their young children, three-year-old Prince William and Prince Harry, then just a year old, with nannies back in the UK.

During the trip, Diana also accompanied Mrs Reagan on a visit to a rehabilitation centre for young people and she and Charles attended a service at Washington’s St Paul’s Cathedral.

He also visited Arlington National Cemetery to lay wreaths to war heroes on Veterans’ Day.

On the final day of the trip, Charles and Diana went to Florida’s Palm Beach, where Charles played in a friendly polo match and the Princess presented a trophy to the winners.