13 Actresses Who Have Played Princess Diana Onscreen
13 Actresses Who Have Played Princess Diana Onscreen
Giovana GelhorenSun, August 23, 2026 at 12:40 PM UTC
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Princess DianaCredit: Getty ImagesTHE GIST -
Princess Diana joined the royal family upon her marriage to King Charles in July 1981. She passed in August 1997 following a tragic car accident.
Diana quickly became one of the most beloved royals. Even before her passing, Diana’s life was being adapted to the screen.
Over the years, several movies and TV shows have told Diana’s story, including the 2013 biopic Diana, starring Naomi Watts, and The Crown, which had both Emma Corrin and Elizabeth Debicki in the role.
Princess Diana joined the royal family upon her wedding to King Charles in July 1981 and quickly became one of the most beloved British royals, earning the title of the people’s princess. From her charitable work to the love she had for her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, she was a beacon for empathy, hope, and resilience.
So it’s no surprise that she’s been portrayed onscreen several times over the years. Even before her tragic passing in August 1997, Diana’s life was the subject of several movies, including in the 1982 movie Charles & Diana: A Royal Love Story, where she was played by Caroline Bliss, and 1982’s The Royal Romance, which saw Catherine Oxenberg as Diana.
Most recently, Diana’s time in the royal family was portrayed on Netflix’s hit show The Crown, where Emma Corrin and Elizabeth Debicki told her story. Seasons 4 through 6 followed Diana’s journey from meeting Charles and their marriage, to their separation and her final days before her tragic accident.
“Playing this part based on this unparalleled, incredible human being has been my great privilege,” Debicki said while accepting the award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series at the 76th Emmy Awards in 2024, per People. “It has been a gift.”
Ahead, see 13 actresses who have played Princess Diana onscreen.
01 of 13
Elizabeth Debicki
Elizabeth DebickiCredit: Swan Gallet/WWD via Getty Images
Elizabeth Debicki was the last actress to play Princess Diana onscreen. The British actress played the royal on seasons five and six of The Crown. During the seasons, she played Diana during her separation and divorce from King Charles, as well as her last days before she died in 1997.
“I’ve learned a lot from studying her life,” Debicki told Harper’s Bazaar. “It seems to me, in my interpretation, that she was really someone who, in their vulnerability, found strength, and I find that very inspiring.” Debicki went on to win major awards for the role, including her first Primetime Emmy, Golden Globe, and Critics’ Choice Awards.
02 of 13
Emma Corrin
Emma CorrinCredit: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Anadolu via Getty Images
The season before Debicki’s portrayal on The Crown, Emma Corrin played a young Diana during the time she met Charles (played by Josh O’Connor) and began their marriage in 1981.
“I feel I’ve got to know Diana like you would a friend,” Corrin told Elle UK. “I know that sounds really weird, but I get a great sense of companionship from her.” For her breakout role, she also received major recognition. Corrin won her first Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice Awards.
03 of 13
Kristen Stewart
Kristen Stewart on March 14, 2026 in Beverly Hills, California.Credit: Getty Images
In 2021, Kristen Stewart embodied Diana in Pablo Larraín’s touching biopic, Spencer. The movie follows Diana over the course of three days as she spends Christmas at Queen Elizabeth’s Sandringham estate in December 1991.
By shining a light on one of her toughest periods (Diana and Charles separated in 1992), Stewart empathized with Diana deeply. “If I could go back in time or have her back for a moment and ask her anything, I wouldn’t,” Stewart told Vanity Fair. “I’d just be like, ‘Dude, can I hang out with you? Do you want to just be together for a moment?’ She needed that so badly.” For the role, Stewart received her first-ever Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.
04 of 13
Jeanna de Waal
Jeanna de WaalCredit: Bruce Glikas/WireImage
Jeanna de Waal played the royal in the Broadway musical about her life, titled Diana: The Musical. The show was originally supposed to open in March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down Broadway. The show later resumed in November 2021, but closed a month later. Netflix also released the filmed version on October 1, 2021.
In a chat with Elle, de Waal explained the hardest challenge about playing the people’s princess. “I would say it was giving my character a burning intention that’s interesting for an audience to watch, even when she’s going through the phase, for lack of a better word, of a victim,” she said. “To not really get lost in that sadness.”
05 of 13
Naomi Watts
Naomi WattsCredit: Neil Mockford/FilmMagic
Australian actress Naomi Watts also embodied Diana in the 2013 biopic, Diana. She was hesitant to take on the role at first, but soon realized she would have the opportunity to show a side of her that the audience didn’t know.
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That included showing Diana’s sense of humor. “That was a great discovery – she had this cheeky, mischievous sense of humor and would crack icebreaker jokes, things like that,” she told Hello! “Obviously we knew a lot about her compassion and empathy because that was displayed over and over again – you could see that just from one single image.”
06 of 13
Genevieve O’Reilly
Genevieve O’ReillyCredit: Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images
In 2007, ten years after Diana’s passing, Genevieve O’Reilly was cast as Diana in Diana: Last Days of a Princess. The TLC project was a hybrid docu-drama in which real footage from the royal was interwoven with scripted scenes reenacting Diana’s life. Altogether, the movie covered the last two months of her life.
07 of 13
Michelle Duncan
Michelle DuncanCredit: Roberto Ricciuti/Getty Images
Scottish actress Michelle Duncan also played Diana in the 2005 ITV television film Whatever Love Means. The title is a reference to a moment in Diana and Charles’ engagement interview when a journalist responds to whether he’s “in love” with his new fiancée. “Of course,” he said, “whatever ‘in love’ means.” As such, the ITV film followed Charles’ relationship with Queen Camilla during his marriage to Diana, told after their divorce and her passing.
08 of 13
Amy Seccombe
Amy Seccombe and George JackosCredit: PA Images via Getty Images
A year after Diana’s passing, Amy Seccombe played the royal in Diana: A Tribute to the People’s Princess in 1998. The tribute followed the royal’s final months, including her romances with Dodi Al Fayed and Hasnat Khan, and her charitable endeavors, including when she met with landmine victims. She’s seen here alongside George Jackos, who played Al Fayed.
09 of 13
Julie Cox
Julie CoxCredit: CBS via Getty Images
In 1996, Julie Cox took over the role in Princess in Love, a CBS film based on the biography by Anna Pasternak with the same name. The book, and subsequently the movie, follow Diana’s extramarital affair with her former riding instructor, Captain James Hewitt.
10 of 13
Serena Scott Thomas
Serena Scott ThomasCredit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images
In 1993, Serena Scott Thomas played the royal in Diana: Her True Story. The NBC movie was based on the bestselling novel by Andrew Morton and followed Diana and Charles’ rocky relationship and breakup.
11 of 13
Nicola Formby
Nicola Gill-FormbyCredit: Paul Morigi/WireImage
In 1992, Nicola Formby played Diana in the CBS movie titled The Women of Windsor. The movie shined a light on Diana’s marriage to Charles, as well as Sarah Ferguson’s marriage to ex-Prince Andrew. Ferguson was played by Sallyanne Law.
12 of 13
Catherine Oxenberg
Catherine OxenbergCredit: CBS via Getty Images
In 1982, Catherine Oxenberg, who is the second cousin once removed of Prince Charles, broke some royal rules when she made her acting debut in 1982’s The Royal Romance. She later reprised the role 10 years later in Charles & Diana: Unhappily Ever After.
Per People, Oxenberg was candid about her role souring her relationship with the royal family. “The only thing that the film cost me was return visits to Buckingham Palace,” she reportedly told Closer in 2019.
13 of 13
Caroline Bliss
Caroline BlissCredit: Derek Hudson/Getty Images
A year after Diana and Charles’ wedding, Caroline Bliss played the newlywed in Charles & Diana: A Royal Love Story. Per The New York Times, their nuptials were portrayed with “reasonable accuracy.”
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