Spencer film starring Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana is branded ‘inaccurate’ by royal experts

A new accuracy row has broken out over the upcoming film Spencer starring Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana, with royal experts branding it inaccurate because it’s set on a weekend at Sandringham which never happened.

It was revealed in June last year that the Twilight actress, 30, would depict the late royal in a film which dramatises a ‘critical’ few days at the Norfolk estate in the early 1990s, when Diana decided that her marriage to Prince Charles wasn’t working.

It follows the moments in which the Princess of Wales realised she ‘needed to veer from a path that put her in line to one day be queen’, and is said to take place during one of Diana’s final Christmases at the House of Windsor in Sandringham.

But according to royal biographers Robert Jobson and Ingrid Seward, Diana had stopped visiting the estate before the period in which the drama is set.

Royal experts have branded the upcoming Spencer film starring Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana as ‘inaccurate’ because it’s set on a weekend at Sandringham which never happened

Robert added that Diana had already made the decision regarding her marriage ‘years before’, while Ingrid pointed out that the princess ‘never wanted a divorce’.

It follows widespread criticism of Netflix drama The Crown, which saw politicians, experts and friends of the Royal Family call for a disclaimer to warn viewers that the show twists the truth. Friends of close senior royals including Prince Charles even went so far as to accuse it of ‘trolling on a Hollywood budget’.

Speaking on True Royalty TV‘s The Royal Beat, Robert said: ‘I don’t even think she was there that weekend. She wasn’t even at Sandringham, on this supposed weekend.

‘The film will suggest this is where the decision was made to divorce, but she never made that decision. I didn’t think she was at Sandringham after 1990 and this was set in 1991.’

Ingrid added: ‘The film is based on three days at Sandringham, and the period that it is based on, Diana wasn’t going to Sandringham anymore. 

Way back when: It was revealed in June last year that the Twilight actress, 30, would depict the late royal in a film which dramatises a ‘critical’ weekend in the early 1990s, when Diana decided that her marriage to Prince Charles wasn’t working

‘It’s probably going to just play up what life was like at Sandringham, which would be quite interesting for a lot of people to see. It has a good setting.’

The screenplay of Spencer was written by Steven Knight, who worked on Peaky Blinders, so Robert predicted the film will be ‘explosive and rock n roll’. 

Like The Crown, the latest series of which was branded a ‘spiteful attack on the Royal Family by making them look like inept idiots’ by Angela Levin, author of Harry: Biography of a Prince, Robert suggested this film will also mix fact with fiction. 

‘I think it’s a shame because there’s so much out there that we know that is true, but then again they need that scope to be able to do a fictional drama like this,’ he said.

Kristen, 30, left, said she hasn’t been excited about a role in a long time ahead of her portrayal of Princess Diana (right in 1994)

Ingrid agreed, adding: ‘Why do fiction when the fact is actually more interesting?’

The announcement that Los Angeles-born Kristen had won the role over a British actress was met with fury, but many remarked on her incredible resemblance to the late princess in an image released this week. 

Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín defended his decision to cast the American star, telling Deadline: ‘Kristin is one of the greatest actors around today.’  

He added: ‘Kristen can be many things, and she can be very mysterious and very fragile an ultimately very strong as well, which is what we need.’

The troubled marriage of Prince Charles and Princess Diana will be the subject of the new film (Pictured above in Sicily British royal tour of Italy in 1985)

‘The combination of those elements made me think of her. The way she responded to the script and how she is approaching the character, it’s very beautiful to see. I think she’s going to do something stunning and intriguing at the same time.’

In October, Kristen admitted she’s nervous about taking on the role in new movie Spencer, especially the task of mastering the late princess’ accent.

In an interview with InStyle, the actress gushed that she hasn’t been ‘this excited about playing a part… in so long.’

She added: ‘In terms of research, I’ve gotten through two and a half biographies, and I’m finishing all the material before I actually go make the movie… It’s one of the saddest stories to exist ever, and I don’t want to just play Diana – I want to know her implicitly.’

The Royal Beat is available from 30th January on True Royalty TV. 

Actresses that have played Princess Diana

Naomi Watts as Princess Diana in the 2013 movie Diana 

Naomi Watts in Diana (2013)

British-Australian actress Naomi Watts famously played the Princess of Wales in the 2013 movie Diana which was derided by critics at the time. ‘Diana might have been flawed and scheming and love-starved, but this film doesn’t help explain that. Nor does it illuminate the common touch and humanitarian side that endeared her to a global audience,’ film critic Suzanne S. Brown wrote. Even Naomi herself would later admit that the film was a ‘sinking ship’.

Emma Corrin in The Crown (2020)

Newcomer Emma Corrin was cast as Princess Diana in the fourth season of The Crown in 2019. Fans have yet to see the actress in the role though, as streaming giant Netflix has not released the next season of the show. However, the actress was pictured filming on location in Manchester in February earlier this year.

Newcomer: Emma Corrin was cast as Princess Diana in the fourth season of The Crown in 2019

Lesley Harcourt in William & Catherine (2011)

Scottish actress Lesley Harcourt – who has had roles in British crime drama Taggart – played Diana in this cheesy Hallmark movie in 2011.  The TV drama was described as ‘superficial fun’ by critics and not taken very seriously. 

Genevieve O’Reilly in Diana: Last Days Of A Princess (2007)

This Channel 5 docu-drama starred Irish actress Genevieve O’Reilly, who is perhaps best known for her work in the Star Wars franchise as Mon Mothma. It certainly fared better than other projects, with a review in The New York Times praising it: ‘It portrays her as needy but manipulative, loving but flawed — in other words, as a human being. Blending documentary techniques and scripted drama, it gives a surprisingly credible picture of the princess’s last summer.’

Made-for-TV: Irish actress Genevieve O’Reilly played Diana in 2007’s Diana: Last Days Of A Princess

Serena Scott Thomas in Diana: Her True Story (1993) 

Based on the publication of the same name by Andrew Morton, British actress and model Serena Scott Thomas also found some praise for her portrayal in this made-for-TV movie. Entertainment Weekly said Serena showed ‘great charm’ in the role, but said she ‘more closely resembles a softer version of Murphy Brown‘s Faith Ford than she does the angular princess.’ Interestingly, Serena later played Carole Middleton in the 2011 TV movie William & Kate, depicting the courtship between the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Amy Seccombe in Diana: A Tribute To The People’s Princess (1998) 

This ill-advised Princess Diana tribute was released just a year after her death, and starred little known actress Amy Seccombe for the part. The project was largely ignored upon release and thought to be distasteful. Seccombe’s only other role after the TV movie was playing a medic on the TV show Operation Good Guys. 

Cheesy: Amy Seccombe and George Jackos play Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed in the TV movie The People’s Princess 

Julie Cox in Princess In Love (1996)

Based on James Hewitt’s book, this American TV movie follows the relationship that blossomed himself between Diana. The role went to British actress Julie Cox who was recently seen in the crime drama Broadchurch. The title failed to have much impact upon its release. 

Caroline Bliss in Charles And Diana: A Royal Love Story (1982) 

This 1982 American made-for-television biographical drama starred Catherine Oxenberg as Diana, Christopher Baines as Prince Charles, and Hollywood royalty Olivia de Havilland as Queen Elizabeth. It originally aired September 20, 1982 on CBS. One damning review from The Washington Post called it a piece of ‘slack-jawed heraldic voyeurism incapable of, and apparently uninterested in, transforming remote news figures into believable mortals.’

US versions: (L-R) Caroline Bliss IN Charles And Diana: A Royal Love Story (1982), AND Julie Cox in Princess In Love (1996)

Advertisement