In June 2020, it was announced Stewart had been cast as the ‘People’s Princess’. Now, the first full trailer has been released, following the film’s premiere at the Venice Film Festival.
Stewart, an American, dazzles as Princess Di and the resemblance to the late royal’s accent is uncanny. Other key members of the royal family are seen in the trailer, including Prince Charles, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William and Prince Harry.
At one point, a young Prince William asks, “mummy, what’s happened to make you so sad?” and at another, Diana is seen running through the garden in her famous wedding gown.
The trailer ends with a foreboding question from Diana, “will they kill me, do you think?”
The earlier released poster depicts Diana in a gorgeous white gown, seemingly bending over to weep and setting a sombre tone for the film.
The gown resembles Diana’s famous ‘Diaghilev’ dress, which she wore on several occasions, most notably to the premiere of Ivan The Terrible at the Royal Opera House in 1986. The gown was designed by her wedding dress designers David and Elizabeth Emanuel.
Earlier this year, fans got a first glimpse of Stewart’s transformation. The image shows the actress dressed in black and a striking red coat, with her hair style in the short blonde bob that the late royal – who died in a car crash in 1997 – was known for.
The ‘Twilight’ star has morphed into the late royal in near-unrecognisable ease. With fans wanting to know more, we dug a little deeper.
The entire film takes place over a weekend
Spencer will focus on one weekend in the life of Princess Diana, as she spends the Christmas holiday with the royal family at the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, and decides to leave her marriage to Prince Charles.
In a press release, Stewart said of the film: “Spencer is a dive inside an emotional imagining of who Diana was at a pivotal turning point in her life. It is a physical assertion of the sum of her parts, which starts with her given name; Spencer. It is a harrowing effort for her to return to herself, as Diana strives to hold onto what the name Spencer means to her.”
It’s backed by award-winning filmmakers
Director Pablo Larraín, is no stranger to the biopic genre. The Chilean filmmaker received acclaim for his 2016 Oscar-nominated film Jackie, starring Natalie Portman as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
Larraín said he was fascinated by Diana and the royals. “Diana is such a powerful icon, where millions and millions of people, not just women, but many people around the world felt empathy toward her in her life.”
Who is in the cast of Spencer?
With Stewart cast as the lead, we wondered who would be her Prince Charles.
Turns out playing Prince Charles will be British actor Jack Farthing. The 35-year-old is known for his roles in TV series Poldark, and he also starred in Netflix film, Love Wedding Repeat last year.
Stella Gonet stars as The Queen, Richard Sammel as Prince Philip and Elizabeth Berrington as Princess Anne.
Timothy Spall, Sally Hawkins, and Sean Harris also star in the film.
