Diana on film: The many actresses who played a princess
Naomi watts is the latest in a long line of actresses to have played the role.
Many actresses have attempted to embody Diana, Princess of Wales on screen, few with much success.
Here are some of the most memorable performances and films.
Naomi Watts – Diana (2013)
But Oliver Hirschbiegel’s film was universally panned and seemed doomed from the start.
The resulting film was savaged by critics, with The Guardian writing: “I hesitate to use the term ‘car crash cinema’, but the awful truth is that, 16 years after that terrible day in 1997, [Diana] has died another awful death.”
Watts later admitted the film was a “sinking ship”.
Genevieve O’Reilly – Diana: Last Days Of A Princess (2007)
While O’Reilly did not look or sound much like the royal, she powered through the dubious dialogue and acquitted herself well.
Serena Scott Thomas – Diana: Her True Story (1993)
It was based on Andrew Morton’s biography and starred Shameless actor David Threlfall as Charles.
It wasn’t Scott Thomas’s only brush with royal biopics, she also played Carole Middleton in 2011’s William & Kate, about the courtship between the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Amy Seccombe – Diana: A Tribute To The People’s Princess (1998)
It called upon Amy Seccombe to re-enact some very famous images from that year and alleged she was about to accept a proposal of marriage from Dodi Al Fayed before she died.
Lesley Harcourt – William & Catherine (2011)
Although Diana died long before the couple met, she makes an appearance in the film, played by Lesley Harcourt, as William watches a videotaped interview she gave before her death in the opening scene.
Caroline Bliss – Charles And Diana: A Royal Love Story (1982)
She later went on to star as Miss Moneypenny in Bond films The Living Daylights and Licence To Kill.
Julie Cox – Princess In Love (1996)
The film is based on Hewitt’s book and tells the story of their relationship.
