Anne Allan, Princess Diana's ballet teacher, shares her memories of the iconic performance and the aftermath that left King Charles unimpressed.
Anne Allan, Princess Diana's former ballet teacher, has penned a memoir that sheds light on the late royal's love of dance and her surprising performance of Billy Joel's "Uptown Girl" in 1985.
Allan recalls that Diana's decision to dance was a way to bring excitement into her marriage with Prince Charles, who seemed less than thrilled by the performance. "When we met him afterward, he did smile and say, 'Well done, darling,'" Allan says, "But [he] immediately went on to doing something else."
Anne Allan Remembers Princess Diana's Surprise 'Uptown Girl' Dance
According to Allan, Diana was deeply affected by Charles's lack of enthusiasm. "She wanted Charles to approve of it," she says. "When you've come offstage and your adrenaline is pumping … you just want somebody to tell you that you're doing all right."
Allan speculates that Charles's reaction may have stemmed from his personal preferences and the unexpected nature of his wife's performance. "Perhaps he's a man that doesn't like surprises," she says. "Firstly, not everybody does. Secondly, I'm not too sure what he thought about his wife wearing a slinky dress, dancing on stage showing her whole body, and showing her being."
Anne Allan Remembers Princess Diana's Surprise 'Uptown Girl' Dance
Despite Charles's lukewarm reception, Allan believes that Diana's performance was a testament to her resilience and determination to have her voice heard. "She loved Charles so much," Allan says. "She just wanted to bring romance into her life, because that's what she thought it should be."
Allan also reveals that Diana confided in her about her struggles in her marriage. "She told me, 'I know he is seeing Camilla again. Why does he not love me? I really don't understand,'" Allan recalls. "She would also tell me, 'We manage to put on a good official front, but it's getting more and more difficult.'"
Anne Allan Remembers Princess Diana's Surprise 'Uptown Girl' Dance
Allan emphasizes that Diana's dance performance was a turning point in her journey towards self-expression. "I will also say that when I left her in 1989, I was leaving a very strong woman," she says. "She had found her voice and was going to go forward being the Princess of Wales."
In the years that followed, Diana became an outspoken advocate for various causes and used her platform to speak her mind. "She just wanted to do good," Allan says. "I think she would want people to have an open heart, too."
Anne Allan Remembers Princess Diana's Surprise 'Uptown Girl' Dance
Anne Allan's memoir, "Dancing with Diana: A Memoir," provides a glimpse into Princess Diana's complexities, her passion for life, and the challenges she faced in her personal and public life.
