Shelley Hack with Bobby Short waiting
to be introduced to Prince Charles
by host FL Nancy Reagan at a White House dinner
in honor of the prince in 1981
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 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. For more check out: Glamorous Guest 1
Shelley Hack with Bobby Short
meeting Prince Charles at a White House dinner
in the prince's honor in 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:
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.
