With the sixth season of ‘The Crown’, which is expected to run on Netflix in autumn 2023, the successful series about the life of Queen Elizabeth II and the British royal family will come to an end. In the last season, one subject in particular takes center stage in the story: the accidental death of Diana Spencer, the ex-wife of Crown Prince Charles, which shocked the whole world in 1997. However, in season five of The Crown, viewers get to know Diana (played by Elizabeth Debicki) quite well…
That said, “The Crown” fans don’t really get to know Diana Spencer, of course. But only a fictional version of the “Queen of Hearts”. Because the Netflix production is not a documentary – even if critics of the series feel that this fact is not always clear. Still, you get a pretty good idea of what it’s like to suddenly become a princess. Or not?
+++ opinion +++
In “The Crown” we are there when Charles sees Diana for the first time and falls in love with her. We’ll be there when Diana comes to court and learns how a princess should behave. We’re there when she bursts under the pressure of the crown, throws up in the toilet and falls ill. And we are by her side as her marriage falls apart, as she fears for her children and starts a new life. Diana’s turbulent life in “The Crown” isn’t that exciting if you ask me.
While I’ve loved all the seasons of The Crown that have aired so far, as well as the changing cast, Diana’s fate in the most recent episodes hasn’t really touched me. This is certainly not due to the great actress Elizabeth Debicki – on the contrary! It’s incredibly fascinating how detailed Debicki portrays Diana. When I first saw her in the role of the princess, I shuddered at how perfect the performance, the costumes, her performances and the makeup are. Debicki even swings one on one like Diana! And yet the story often seems superficial – perhaps because ‘The Crown’ simply sees the big picture and processes events chronologically.
But for those who – understandably – can’t get enough of Diana and her story and like to watch special feature films, I definitely recommend “Spencer” by director Pablo Larraín! This is currently available with an Amazon Prime Video subscription.
›› “Spencer” on Amazon Prime Video*
Here’s Why Diana on ‘Spencer’ Is So Much More Captivating Than the Princess on ‘The Crown’
“Spencer” by Pablo Larraín was released in German cinemas in January 2022 and thrilled critics and viewers alike. Especially because “Spencer” is not just a biopic, but a mixture of biography, drama and horror fairy tale! Like season 5 of The Crown, the film is set in the early 1990s and follows the end of Charles and Diana’s marriage. Yet it tells a completely different story than the series: the story of Diana.
In “Spencer,” Diana is played by the beautiful Kristen Stewart (“Crimes Of The Future”), who at first may not seem to fit the role as perfectly as Debicki. And yet, from the start, Stewart manages to be more approachable and human – even though she doesn’t seem to feel like a human anymore.
We travel with the princess in the Porsche to her husband, her children and the queen (Stella Gonet) to celebrate Christmas with the royal family. However, this will be anything but a festive and fun event. Rather, it is a journey into a golden cage, full of rules, coldness (literally) and confusion. Apart from Charles (Jack Farthing) and Diana’s children Harry (Freddie Spry) and William (Jack Nielen), the other family members remain in the background of the story. They are not evil or intriguing, as is often assumed in reports about the British royal family. It is the age-old courtly rules and the royal family as an institution that bring Diana to her knees. And Larraín manages to make us, as viewers, feel and understand these bonds.
But “Spencer” isn’t just pretty dark! The movie is also the opposite of that. My colleague Björn Becher describes the film in his 4-star review as an “infectiously optimistic fairy tale” and hits the nail on the head. If you’re interested in this very special (and Christmasy!) movie, you can find it on Amazon Prime Video.
*