The public's interest in the royal family is at an all-time high! Such as Diana, Princess of Wales, continues to dominate headlines in both life and death. Despite the fact that the Princess passed away in a vehicle accident in Paris in 1997 when she wasn't even 36, until now, she is still a source of curiosity in film and television. Countless dramas, documentaries, and even a musical analyzing the Princess's inner life were commissioned over the past 40 years. Since 1982, Princess Diana has been portrayed by 13 different stars in movies and television productions.
So, let's scroll down to see how the performances of actors on screen compared to our Princess! And tell us what portrayal is your favorite!
#1 In a 1982 television film about the royal wedding, Caroline Bliss (left) portrayed Princess Diana (right).
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The dramatic recounting of Prince Charles and Princess Diana's wedding at St. Paul's Cathedral in London, "Charles & Diana: A Royal Love Story," was released by ABC just 14 months after the royal nuptials. In 1982, The New York Times stated that Bliss portrayed Diana "with reasonable accuracy."
#2 The same year, CBS also had another television film about the royal nuptials on air, starring Catherine Oxenberg (left) as Princess Diana (right).
Source: CBS, Getty Images
The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana, which also focused on the royal wedding, was released by CBS a few weeks after ABC's film. The Washington Post commented that, unfortunately, CBS makes the 1982 portrayal of Diana something of a Pollyanna or a Cinderella.
#3 Nicola Formby (left) played Princess Diana (right) in 1992 "The Women of Windsor."
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Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, both of whom married into the royal family, were the main characters of the 1992 CBS television program "The Women of Windsor." Formby played princess Diana in this TV movie, which Variety described as an overall flat character.
#4 In the 1993 NBC biopic "Diana: Her True Story," Serena Scott Thomas (left) played Princess Diana (right).
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The NBC movie adaption of Andrew Morton's best-selling book was intended to provide viewers an inside look at the royal couple's relationship. According to
Entertainment Weekly (1983), Thomas portrayed Diana with "great charm" but did not resemble the "angular princess."
#5 Julie Cox (left) portrayed Princess Diana (right) in the 1996 CBS film "Princess in Love," which chronicled her rumored liaison.
Source: CBS Photo Archive, Getty Images
The CBS movie "Princess in Love" is about Diana's extramarital affair with her former riding instructor. Cox took on the role of the princess just days before production started. The actress claims that she never read the book because she would find it difficult to take the script seriously if she read it.
#6 "Diana: A Tribute to The People's Princess," starring Amy Seccombe (left), was released a year after Princess Diana (right) passed away.
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According to RadioTimes, "Diana: A Tribute to The People's Princess" highlighted Diana's connection with Dodi Fayed and her relationship with her two children during the last year of her life. Seccombe, who looks likable like Princess Diana, took on this role.
#7 In 2007, TLC produced a gripping documentary on Diana's last moments. In this series of reenactments, Genevieve O'Reilly (left) performed the princess (right).
Source: TCL, Getty Images
As a docudrama, "Diana: Last Days of a Princess" combined real-life interviews with her friends and family with dramatic reenactments of the days preceding the tragedy. The New York Times claims that O'Reilly's performance was true-to-life.
#8 In the 2013 film "Diana," which focused on her connection with Hasnat Khan, Naomi Watts (left) portrayed the queen (right).
Source: Ecosse Films, Getty Images
Although the movie received poor reviews, Watts' performance is one of its highlights. The New York Times from 2013 stated, "Anchored by Ms. Watts's sympathetic portrayal, it humanizes the woman behind the grin, the helmet hair, and the myth." And even the actress told The Daily Mail that she experienced a spiritual connection with Diana while filming the movie.
#9 In the Lifetime television movies "Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance" and "Harry & Meghan: Becoming Royal," Bonnie Soper (left) portrayed Princess Diana (right).
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Soper played Princess Diana in flashback scenes in both films, despite the fact that the other roles had changed. The actress said that even though she didn't pay much attention to the entire Royal scene as a little girl, she still remembers being incredibly interesting in the princess.
#10 "The Crown," a Netflix series, featured Emma Corrin (left) as a young Princess Diana (right).
Source: Netflix, Getty Images
The actress did a wonderful job as the compliment that her co-star Josh O'Connor gave her. For this role, Corrin received a Golden Globe nomination in 2021 and an Emmy one.
#11 Portraying Princess Diana (left), Kristen Stewart (right) appears in the film "Spencer."
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Stewart started shooting in early 2021 and worked so hard with her dialect coach to have the distinct and particular accent of the princess.
#12 In the fifth season of "The Crown," Elizabeth Debicki (left) will portray the royal (right).
Source: Netflix, Getty Images
To depict the passage of time, "The Crown" swaps up the casting every two seasons. As Emma Corrin won't be old enough to portray an older Princess Diana, Elizabeth Debikci has been cast in the series.
#13 In the Netflix Broadway musical, Jeanna de Waal (left) portrays the princess (right).
Source: Netflix, Getty Images
2021 "Diana: The Musical" launched on Netflix followed the princess from the first time she meets Prince Charles to her terrible demise. The show's title character was performed by Jeanna de Waal in San Diego before it debuted on Broadway in March 2020.