(NEW SERIES!!!) Diana on Screen: Every Portrayal of the People’s Princess
For decades, Princess Diana has been one of the most portrayed women in modern television and film history.
From made-for-TV movies rushed out during the height of royal mania, to prestige dramas like The Crown and psychological interpretations like Spencer, actresses across the last forty-five years have all attempted to capture the same woman: the shy nursery assistant, the nervous nineteen-year-old bride, the global icon, the troubled princess, and ultimately the legend.
- Some portrayals have been hauntingly accurate.
- Some have been deeply sympathetic.
- Some have been unintentionally absurd.
So beginning today, I’m starting a new long-form community series: Diana On Screen.
In this series, we will go chronologically from 1982 to the present, revisiting every major scripted television and film portrayal of Princess Diana ever released. The only performances not included will be the ones from The Queen (2006) and The Murder of Princess Diana (2007) where Diana does not have any dialogue and is just seen getting in and out of cars. Diana performances in the William and Harry lifetime movies will also not be included as Diana is not the main focus in the movies and only appears in brief flashbacks.
Each post will focus on one production and will include:
- A synopsis of the film/show and what period of Diana’s life it covers
- A breakdown of Diana’s portrayal and the actress’s performance
- My personal rating and review
- A review of the production as a whole
- A viewing link/clip to the performance whenever available
- And finally, an open discussion for everyone’s thoughts and rankings
The goal is not just to rank who looked the most like Diana, but to examine how the world has chosen to depict her over time, and how those depictions say just as much about the era they were made in as they do about Diana herself.
We’ll be covering everything:
- the forgotten 1980s television romances,
- the scandal-fueled 1990s dramas,
- the controversial 2000s recreations,
- and the modern prestige portrayals everyone debates today.
Whether the performance is brilliant, bizarre, moving, or wildly off the mark, it will be included.
I’ll be posting the portrayals in chronological release order, so we are starting at the very beginning.
Part One drops soon.
Until then, I’d love to ask:
Which actress do you currently think portrayed Diana best? And which portrayal missed the mark entirely?