10 Actors Who Have Played Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales, is still a showbiz sensation. The People’s Princess, who inspired biopics and other pop-culture portrayals during her tumultuous marriage to Prince Charles, and after her 1997 death, will be seen again in several upcoming projects.
Netflix is ready to tell more of Diana’s story with Season 5 of The Crown and a filmed version of the Broadway musical Diana, the latter of which just got a trailer last week. And the Diana biopic Spencer will hit the big screen in November.
Amid the enduring fascination with Lady Di on both sides of the pond, here are 10 actors who have portrayed her on screen and on stage.
See Also 'In Their Own Words': Princess Diana Opens a Window to Her World in PBS Docuseries
Catherine Oxenberg
Before her Dynasty fame—and well before her NXIVM docuseries Seduced—this actress played Lady Diana Spencer in the 1982 CBS movie The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana. She returned to the part ten years later, playing Princess Diana in the 1992 ABC movie Charles and Diana: Unhappily Ever After, seen here.
Serena Scott Thomas
Kristen Scott Thomas’ younger sister, also known for her role on Nash Bridges, portrayed the People’s Princess in Diana: Her True Story. The 1993 TV movie depicted Diana and Charles’ mounting resentment “alarmingly well” according to The Daily Mirror’s James Whittaker (per The Washington Post).
Julie Cox
Seen more recently on Midsomer Murders and Broadchurch, this actress played Diana in the 1996 CBS movie Princess in Love, which dramatized her affair with army officer James Hewitt.
Amy Seccombe
Coming out a year of Diana’s death, the British TV movie Diana: A Tribute to the People’s Princess featured one of only two onscreen parts for this actress. The movie chronicled Diana’s last 14 months and was “seemingly dedicated to bestowing sainthood” upon her, according to AllMovie’s Hal Erickson.
Genevieve O’Reilly
This actress, soon to be seen in the Disney+ series Andor, took the lead part in the 2007 TLC docudrama Diana: Last Days of a Princess. The New York Times’ Susan Stewart said the film “gives a surprisingly credible picture of the princess’s last summer.”
Naomi Watts
In the critically-derided 2013 biopic Diana, this Oscar-nominated actress depicted the princess’ relationships with Hasnat Khan and Dodi Fayed. In a subsequent interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Watts said that she got “seduced by the fantastic character” but admitted there were “problems” with the film, per Vanity Fair.
Emma Corrin
Corrin won a Golden Globe for her performance as Diana in the acclaimed Netflix drama The Crown. “I loved it,” they told TV Insider in November 2020, reflecting on playing the princess at different stages of her life. “I thought her trajectory was the most incredible gift as an actor.”
Kristen Stewart
The Twilight alum plays the part in Spencer, an upcoming biopic film from director Pablo Larraín, which imagines a Christmas that Diana spent with her in-laws at the royal family’s Sandringham estate. “[Diana] felt so alive to me when I was making this movie, even if it’s all between the ears and it was just a fantasy of mine,” Stewart told the Los Angeles Times in a new interview.
Jeanna de Waal
De Waal, a theater performer and Iron Fist alum, takes on the title role in Diana, a musical filmed for Netflix after the COVID-19 pandemic delayed its Broadway debut.
Elizabeth Debicki
This star of The Night Manager and Tenet is taking over the part of Diana for The Crown’s final two seasons, opposite Dominic West as Prince Charles.
