“The Crown” begins its fifth season on Wednesday, November 9th and will focus on the 90s. Here, a course of action will address the failed marriage between the then Prince Charles (Dominic West, 53) and Princess Diana (Elizabeth Debicki, 32), for which the fourth season laid the foundation.
“The Crown”, “Spencer” and Co. starred Princess Diana
With her portrayal of Princess Diana, actress Debicki joins a long list of different actresses who have embodied the “Queen of Hearts” over the years. In the Netflix series “The Crown” alone, Debicki is the second person to slip into Diana’s skin: In season 4, Emma Corrin, 26, played a young Diana who, over the years, had to realize that life was part of the British monarchy was not what she might have had when she first began dating Prince Charles (Josh O’Connor, 32).
Various books and films dealing with the life and fate of Diana were published during the princess’s lifetime. “Diana: Her True Story” (published in Germany under the title: “Diana: Ihr Echte Geschichte”) is one of the oldest productions: the TV film was released in 1993 and used the book of the same title, which was extremely controversial at the time, as a template . Diana was played by actress Serena Scott Thomas, 61.
Who played Diana best?
Opinions about the portrayal of the princess, who died in 1997, are still divided: some criticize that the private life story of a real person is exploited – especially after her accidental death. Diana’s children in particular, Prince William, 40, and Prince Harry, 38, have been and continue to be pushed into the limelight by the many headlines, films and series about their mother on this undoubtedly painful topic.
Others see the media debate about the fate of the princess as an important reminder of a person who touched and still touches many hearts. This is probably not the only reason why, a quarter of a century after her death, there are still new films, series, books and theater productions that look at the people behind the titles. In our gallery you can find out which actress, according to critics and viewers, was able to embody Diana best.
Sources used: imdb.com, vogue.com, metacritic.com, theguardian.com, ew.com, variety.com