Diana, Princess of Wales distanced herself from the traditional royal family values and instead, remained headstrong about her own.
On Nov. 5, 2021, director Pablo Larrain released the film dedicated to the princess titled, “Spencer.” This take on the British royal icon may differ from typical “true stories.”
This film that is centered on the struggles Diana faced when attempting to leave both her marriage and the royal family was done so in a raw yet believable way. The anxiety and stress of being in the public eye and walking through the halls filled with so much history could not have been easy.
Becoming the princess
Diana first met Charles during his visit to her home in 1997. They were not together at this time, but Charles and Diana’s older sister Sarah was. By 1980, the press had captured Diana at Balmoral, Charles’s family estate, and this began their “love affair.
A year after the media picked up on their attraction to each other, Charles proposed to Diana at Windsor Castle and the public was excited to celebrate this connection of love. To which Charles received numerous congratulations and well wishes that he pushed aside and said, “whatever in love means.”
Love is not always the easiest. Marriage is not the easiest. What is the easiest, is staying faithful and committed to your partner. Diana had serious doubts when it came to Charles after she found a bracelet he had made for another woman. If I were in her corner during this time, I would tell her to run for the hills. That is a serious red flag.
william and harry
If there was one thing clear as day about Diana, it was her love for her children.
Diana had always pushed the idea of raising her children in a normal environment. There were rules, and regulations put in place for the way royal children were brought up but she busted through all of those barriers. She chose the names for both William and Harry on their own and preffered to look after them instead of a nanny.
One of the most obsurred things she did in the eyes of the royal family was she personally brought the boys to school. Traditionally, the royal children were educated within the walls of the home but she put the boys through public school.
The one thing that is so admirable about Diana is the interaction she had with her children. She used vacations and trips with her children as a time to be silly and an active mother. Playing in the sand, running races, these were the things William and Harry cherish most about the time they were able to spend with her.
Kristen stewart as diana?
When it comes to honoring an icon through film, casting will not receive 10’s all around. There will be people that will place actors in a box based on what their IMDB looks like. Kristen Stewart is known primarily as Bella in Twilight and is also known for her obscure facial expressions or lack their of. When word spread of her being the “People’s Princess,” criticism flew like rockets.
I understand that you want the movie to be correct by how you see the person. I was skeptical at first primarily because Kristen hasn’t been in many films as serious as this but I decided to give her a shot.
Man, I was impressed. Watching her on the screen felt weird at first but then as soon as she began speaking I was sucked in. I felt like she embodied Diana and the themes she had to protray were so serious, but she did it in such a careful yet bold way.
It should be mentioned that this story is a “fable from the truth” meaning they would take pieces of the history that happened and stretch it for a cinematic purpose.
should you watch it?
I would say yes. If you are interested in the royal family, drama and mature themes I would suggest you watch it. I should also mention this film does share dark themes and there are some things that may be triggering to some.
The run time is 1 hour and 57 minutes and is availible on Hulu.
If you do decide to watch this film, reach out to us @hercampuscwu on Instagram and let us know your thoughts and if you think they protrayed Princess Diana correctly.