Billy Crystal Reveals Princess Diana's Reaction to Meg Ryan's NSFW Scene at Premiere of 'When Harry Met Sally'
The actor recalled how "the whole audience" was watching to see what Diana thought of the famous deli scene.
Princess Diana met everyone from George Michael to John Travolta before her tragic 1997 death, but one star you wouldn't necessarily connect to Diana is Billy Crystal. On Wednesday, Oct. 23, the actor appeared on The View to promote his latest project, Before, and during his interview with the show's co-hosts, he revealed a surprising (and hilarious) story about the late Princess of Wales.
In a clip the show shared on X, Crystal shared that Diana attended the November 1989 premiere of When Harry Met Sally in London, and he—along with co-star Meg Ryan—was not only able to meet the royal, but actually sat next to her during the screening.
"She’s on my left and Meg is on her left. So it’s me, Rob [Reiner], Princess [Diana] and then Meg. So we sit down together in the balcony in the theater. And the trumpets are blaring as we walk in, which happens in every movie theater," Crystal said with a laugh. He remembered Ryan "leaning in front like, ‘Do you believe who she is?’ It’s like, crazy."
If you've ever seen the classic rom-com (and if you haven't, do so immediately), you're familiar with the iconic scene when Ryan's character fakes an orgasm, and that's where the best part of Crystal's tale comes in.
Diana shimmered in a red evening gown while chatting to Ryan and Crystal at the 1989 premiere of When Harry Met Sally.
"And then the deli scene happens, and the whole audience below us is now looking back to see how the princess is gonna react to Meg faking the orgasm," the actor shared. While Crystal was curious how she'd take Ryan's blush-inducing performance, he wasn't quite ready for what happened.
"And then she starts laughing. A big laugh," Crystal recalled, breaking out into a low, barking laugh that you definitely would not expect to come from Princess Diana. "It's the kind of laugh, that if we were dating, I wouldn't see her again," he admitted.
"I'd go, 'The laugh! She's beautiful, but the laugh,'" Crystal told the ladies of The View. Although he apparently would've turned down a date, the City Slickers star said the princess was "unbelievable."
"It was a spectacular evening. And so great to meet her," he concluded.
