Caroline Bliss | Charles & Diana: A Royal Love Story | ABC | 1982
Known for her role as Miss Moneypenny in the James Bond franchise, British-born Caroline Bliss’ first role was actually a royal one.
That’s right, Bliss stepped into the Hollywood scene through her portrayal of Lady Diana in the 1982 TV movie Charles & Diana: A Royal Love Story.
As the name suggests, the film focused on Charles and Diana’s picture-perfect romance – you know, before all the cheating – and depicted their famous 1981 wedding.
Nicola Formby | The Women of Windsor | CBS | 1992
Ten years after Bliss wrapped-up her breakout role, actress Nicola Formby accepted her crown as she portrayed Di in the 1992 TV Movie The Women of Windsor.
This adaptation focused on the lives of two princesses who married into the royal family. Princess Diana, of course, who married Charles, and also Sarah "Fergie" Ferguson who married the now disgraced Prince Andrew.
Serena Scott Thomas | Diana: Her True Story | NBC | 1993
Diana once gave self-recorded tapes to royal biographer Andrew Morton. The author then used these tapes to write the explosive tell-all book titled Diana: Her True Story.
English-born actress Serena Scott Thomas scooped up the role of Di in the film adaptation of that monumental novel.
And, considering the book was helped written by the princess herself, it’s about as close to an accurate depiction of the royal’s life as we may ever get.
Julie Cox | Princess in Love | CBS | 1996
Ahh 1996. The year that Pokemon was launched worldwide, Oprah started her bookclub and, oh yeah, it was the year that Diana and Charles finally called it quits and finalised their divorce.
The movie, Princess in Love, told the story of one of the events leading up to the separation - Diana’s affair with British Army officer James Hewitt.
But this wasn’t a revelation, the affair had already been made public in Diana: Her True Story and in the royal’s famous, and controversial, Panorama interview.
English-born Julie Cox was the actress to play Di this time around.
Amy Seccombe | Diana: A Tribute to The People’s Princess | 1998
The first Diana adaptation to hit screens after the princess and her partner Dodi Fayed were involved in a fatal car accident aired a year after her death.
Actress Amy Seccombe was the one to portray Diana in this tribute which focused on the final year of the royal’s life – including her romance with Dodi.
Genevieve O’Reilly | Diana: Last Days of a Princess | TLC | 2007
As we hit the 2000s, the Diana obsession only grew as more and more movies featuring the People’s Princess continued to hit our screens.
In 2007, the documentary-style Diana: Last Days of a Princess depicted Diana’s final days and included real footage – with a bit of added drama of course.
Irish-Australian – yes, one of our own – actress Genevieve O’Reilly scored this coveted gig.
Lesley Harcourt | William & Catherine: A Royal Romance | Hallmark | 2011
While this Hallmark film centred around the romance between Diana’s son William and his wife Kate Middleton, Princess Diana still made an appearance, albeit brief, in the film.
Played by Scottish actress Lesley Harcourt, her version of Diana hit our screens in 2011, right after the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge got hitched.
Naomi Watts | Diana | 2013
Who could forget the iconic Naomi Watts in the 2013 film Diana?
The British-born, but Australian-at-heart, actress portrayed the princess as she navigated her relationships with heart surgeon Hasnat Khan, who has just recently come out and slammed Diana’s 1996 BBC interview, as well Dodi Fayed.
Bonnie Soper | Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance | 2018 | Harry & Meghan: Becoming Royal | 2019
This Kiwi actress appeared in not one but two royal family flicks as Diana. Though, both centred around the ever-controversial Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Romance.
And while different actors took the crown – so to speak – when it came to portraying the rogue royals – Bonnie Soper kept her role as Diana for both films.
Jeanna de Waal | Diana | 2019 |
From the screen to the stage. Diana the Musical had just begun, with Bavarian-born Jeanna de Waal as the leading lady, when the pandemic-that-must-not-be-named hit and ruined everything, as usual.
But fear not, the show is on its way back to broadway AND to Netflix this year! What a royal relief!
Emma Corrin | The Crown | NETFLIX | 2020
If you have a Netflix account, chances are you will have seen the words The Crown in the "what’s trending" part of the streaming service at some point last year.
The TV show which focuses on the British royals (since Elizabeth became Queen) has become an absolute hit worldwide.
British-born actress Emma Corrin was casted as Diana in the latest, fourth, season of the TV show and depicted the Lady’s early days when she was just 19 years old.
Elizabeth Debicki | The Crown | NETFLIX | Date unconfirmed
But Emma’s reign as Diana will soon be up as Parisian by birth, and Melburnian-by-heart, actress Elizabeth Debicki is preparing to portray the princess in the final two seasons of The Crown.
And that brings us back to...
Kristen Stewart | Spencer | 2021 |
American-actress Kristen Stewart is playing Di in the upcoming film Spencer, which is serving as a deep-dive into the princess’ life as a way to restore some public favour that may have been lost over the years.
Almost 25 years after her shocking death, the Princess Diana adaptations continue to hit our screens and resonate with viewers everywhere.
