a writeup about Shelley attending
a White House dinner in honor
of Prince Charles in 1981
On May 6, 2023, the coronation of King Charles III of the United Kingdom will take place. Prior to his ascension to the throne, the former Prince of Wales undertook official duties and engagements, both at home and abroad, on behalf of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away in 2022. He has attended numerous meetings and events at the White House in the United States through the passing decades.
Shelley attended a White House dinner in honor of the soon-to-be-married Prince of Wales, Prince Charles of Great Britain, in May of 1981. With a guest list of only 30, the dinner did away with strict protocol and had the prince arrive before the guests - which included Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Alfred and Betsy Bloomingdale, Diana Vreeland and William F. Buckley among others. Shelley was escorted by her Charlie perfume commercial co-star Bobby Short, who also provided the entertainment for the evening in the yellow Oval Room. As the prince was soon to marry Lady Diana Spencer, there were no young women among the guests except for Shelley.
Shelley Hack and Bobby Short meeting
then President Ronald Reagan
at a White House dinner in honor
of Prince Charles in 1981
In November of 1981, Bobby Short, who (by then) was already a renowned American cabaret singer and pianist, told Vogue magazine about his encounter with Prince Charles at that White House dinner in May of that year. In the writeup called "Playing The White House: The Special Memoirs Of A Show-Stopper," Bobby Short recounted:
We (Bobby and Shelley Hack) turned to the right, making our way to the yellow Oval Room, where we found President Reagan standing just outside the door. Robust, smiling, and splendidly dressed, he greeted each guest with a hearty handshake and motioned us into the room, where the First Lady was standing to the right of the guest of honor, His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales.
Shelley and I joined the short line of guests, each of us punctual as pie, all of us eager to meet the royal visitor. Mrs. Reagan extended her hand, then introduced us to the Prince with a simple and unaffected, "Have you met His Royal Highness?" We had not. We shook the Prince's hand. He responded warmly and in a totally unassuming manner made a modicum of small talk. He was exceedingly charming, open, and terribly relaxed, saying all the right things to the right people.
Bobby Short and Shelley Hack waiting
(behind Cary Grant and his wife, Barbara Harris)
to be introduced to Prince Charles
by host FL Nancy Reagan at a White House dinner
in honor of the prince in 1981
According to the prince's biographer, Anthony Holden, Shelley was the only guest the prince may have objected to. Shelley, of course, first became famous as THE Charlie Girl, Revlon's "it" girl, and later as one of
Charlie's Angels. "Every story ever written about his girlfriends always has been headlined
"Charlie's Angels,'" Holden explained. That seemed to bother the prince a lot. But the dinner/event went on without a hitch. For the record, Prince Charles has met all the
Angels from the OG series. Check out:
Prince Charles Angels
