Charles, Diana Plunge Into Capital Whirl

Charles and Diana, the prince and princess of Wales, arrived in Washington under sunny skies Saturday and plunged into a breakneck schedule that ran from a visit to a hospice for the terminally ill to a showbiz-and-society dinner hosted by President Reagan.

Charles, the 36-year-old heir to Britain’s throne, admitted that he was still “trying to get over the jet lag” after flying here from Australia with an overnight rest in Hawaii.

But his 24-year-old consort, Diana, showed no signs of fatigue, despite reports in the Australian press that she had tired during their 10-day visit there--leading to rumors, dismissed by a royal spokesman, that she might be pregnant for a third time.

Responds With Smile

Diana, consistently drawing larger crowds than her husband, shook hands and chatted with some of the 178 elderly residents of the Washington Home and Hospice, including Mary Bryan, who told the princess that she would turn 100 in December.

“Some people will do anything to have a party,” Diana responded with a smile.

In a more somber vein, Diana held the hand of an elderly man dying of throat cancer who could not speak to the princess--but who smiled at her and circled his fingers in an “OK” sign.

And at Andrews Air Force Base, where the prince and princess landed Saturday morning, she paused to talk with Jonathan Lollar, a blind 16-year-old from Ocean Springs, Miss., who is suffering from an inoperable brain tumor. The teen-ager was flown to Washington by the Make a Wish Foundation, which helps terminally ill children make their last dreams come true.

“I’m in orbit,” Jonathan said. “Meeting her was everything I expected.”

Relatively small numbers of sightseers turned out to catch a glimpse of the royal couple, although their coming had excited Washington’s elite--the political and social circles that make up the unofficial aristocracy of this democratic capital--for weeks.

For them, the high points of the prince and princess’s three-day visit are the parties, and President and Mrs. Reagan kicked off the social round with White House pomp and Hollywood glitter.

“I flew all the way here from Hawaii for this,” said actor Tom Selleck, who was accompanied by actress Jillie Mack. “Do you call him Charles? I am nervous. This is different.”

Selleck said he was “enormously flattered” that the princess apparently had requested his presence at the party.

‘All Butterflies’

“I’m nervous,” echoed singer Neil Diamond. “My stomach is all butterflies. I’d much rather face an audience of 20,000 people.”

Robert B. Ballard, the marine researcher who found the wreck of the Titanic, said the prospect of meeting a future king and queen was “scarier, actually,” than plumbing the depths of the Atlantic.

The star of “Saturday Night Fever,” John Travolta, said he would be happy to dance with the princess “if she wants me to. I don’t know if it’s permissible. I don’t know what the deal is.”

Olympic swimming gold medalist Steve Lundquist said he was “very surprised” to be invited.

“I don’t dance very good,” he admitted. “Maybe I can teach her how to swim and she can teach me how to dance.”

The 81 guests at the dinner-dance included a cross-section of America’s own version of royalty: money, show business and the arts.

Those on the guest list--chosen jointly by the White House and Buckingham Palace--also included ballet star Mikhail Baryshnikov and diva Beverly Sills; oceanic explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau, baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth and conservative columnist William F. Buckley Jr.; presidential daughter Maureen Reagan, and Betsy Bloomingdale and Jerome Zipkin, longtime friends of the First Family. Opera star Leontyne Price sang after dinner.

Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, the daughter of the Aga Khan and Rita Hayworth, was another royal guest. Famous faces were everywhere, from cosmetics queen Estee Lauder to astronaut Alan B. Shepard and Olympic swimmer Lundquist.

Wyeth Invited

Artists included painters James B. Wyeth, David Hockney and Helen Frankenthaler, New York City Ballet star Suzanne Farrell and architect I.M Pei. Four great American fortunes were present in the persons of Gloria Vanderbilt (railroads), Brooke Astor (land), Leonore Annenberg (publishing) and Drue Heinz (ketchup).

California was there in force with former White House aide Michael K. Deaver, U.S. Information Agency chief Charles Z. Wick and interior designer Ted Graber as well as Ueberroth, Maureen Reagan, Betsy Bloomingdale, and the Hollywood contingent.

In deference to Charles’ dislike of red meat, the menu featured lobster mousseline with Maryland crab, glazed chicken Capsicum and a jicama salad. Three California wines were served: a 1981 Quail Ridge Chardonnay, a 1979 Conn Creek Cabernet Sauvignon and a 1982 Schramsberg Cuvee de Pinot.

Diana wore a midnight blue velvet evening dress by Victor Edelstein, with a flared skirt and a sleeveless bodice ruched to a low hip line trimmed with a bow. She also wore long dark blue suede gloves and a pearl choker with a brilliant sapphire clasp.

During the day, the princess wore a bright red wool suit with a straight skirt, waisted jacket with blouson effect and white shawl collar worn over white camisole, designed by Bruce Oldfield.

At dinner, Mrs. Reagan wore the same white-beaded Galanos gown with long sleeves and a high neck that she wore to the 1985 inaugural ball. At one point, she almost put her hand on Diana’s elbow to guide the princess--but quickly pulled back, remembering the rule against commoners touching royalty.

Tartan Sport Jacket

Both the prince and the President wore black tie. Earlier in the day, when the royals arrived for morning tea at the White House, Charles wore a blue suit and President Reagan sported a green-and-blue tartan sport jacket that has been known to cause some aides to wince slightly.

Neither the White House nor the British Embassy would divulge the subject of the 30-minute chat over tea in the Reagans’ family living room. Charles told a reporter later that it was “very, very private.”

Immediately afterward, Charles and Diana went to the British ambassador’s residence to meet the staff and plant a maple tree, a tradition for visiting members of the royal family.

After a quick change of clothes, Diana headed to the Washington Home with Barbara Bush, the vice president’s wife, while Charles visited the American Institute of Architects.

As helicopters buzzed overhead, Charles saw a slide show on urban renewal projects in Baltimore and Savannah, Ga., and joined in a discussion about grass-roots efforts for neighborhood revitalization. Participants included 72-year-old Eloise Daniels, a retired housekeeper and tenant in rehabilitated low-income housing in Savannah, who presented the prince with a small sewing basket made from pine needles and thread.

Urban renewal is a special interest of the future king. He caused a furor in Britain recently when he visited a London shelter for the homeless and said not enough was being done to address their problem--a comment some government officials complained was improper coming from the traditionally apolitical Royal Family.

Diana’s first visit to the United States--not counting a 1983 refueling stop at Los Angeles International Airport--has touched off a frenzy of media interest, with cover stories in half a dozen magazines.

But the crowd seeking a glimpse outside the White House on Saturday night was perhaps only 200 people, many of them tourists.

A Washington television station commissioned a poll that asked local residents if they would rather meet Charles and Diana--or get a seat at the Washington Redskins’ crucial game with the Dallas Cowboys today. Even in a year when the Redskins are struggling, the result was a landslide: 2,253 for the ‘Skins, only 603 for the Royals.

Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke even turned down an invitation to lunch today with Charles and Diana because it would keep him from the game.

“Miss Dallas?” Cooke said. “Are you serious?”