Sylvester Stallone & Richard Gere’s Feud Over Princess Diana

Princess Diana was driving men crazy even before her scandalous 1996 divorce from Prince Charles — and she had Richard Gere and Sylvester Stallone ready to fight over her!

The beloved royal landed her pal Elton John in the middle of a Hollywood feud in 1994 — with the flamboyant pop star trying to host an elegant party in his English manor. "I remember when she came to my house in Windsor," Elton recalled. "Sylvester Stallone had always wanted to meet her" — adding that his "good friend" is also "a bit of a male chauvinist pig."

But to Elton's regret, he also invited Richard Gere. "I didn't know it," he said, "but Richard and Sylvester can't stand one another...Eventually, everyone else arrived and Diana sat on the floor talking to Richard for about two hours!"

"All the time," Elton continued, "Sylvester was on the other side of the room, steaming away. Then Richard and Sylvester started squaring up to one another. Someone had to come between them. I was standing there, saying 'Oh, no...'"

Diana, however, wasn't flustered at all by the Hollywood posturing. "I have this image of Diana in my mind," said Elton, "sitting crosslegged on the floor. She was completely relaxed, completely at home, laughing away."

But while the "American Gigolo" star charmed Diana that night, Sylvester got the last laugh. A tape later leaked in 1994 of Richard ranting about the "Rocky" hero — because he thought Sylvester was after his girlfriend Cindy Crawford!

"He's such a lowlife," ranted Richard — adding: "How people date this guy, I don't know. He's such a scumbag. Like, he says to people that we were at this party with Lady Di, and 'Gere and I were both trying to cruise her.' He's such a scumbag, and very unpleasant with women.'"