… plus the actresses who have played her
With the same flawless skin, long legs and blonde hair, this is the actress who will bring Diana, Princess of Wales to life in the next series of The Crown.
Elizabeth Debicki, who captivated viewers in BBC thriller The Night Manager, will portray Diana in the final two seasons of the hugely popular Netflix show, which will be set in the 1990s and chart the breakdown of the Princess’s marriage, as well as her death in 1997.
A trained ballet dancer, who stands at a statuesque 6ft 3in, Elizabeth’s resemblance to the late Princess in her 30s is uncanny – and those who knew Diana believe her casting is the best yet, following numerous film and TV depictions over the years.
TOUGH JOB
“There’s no question that this is head and shoulders above the casting of other actresses and I can’t wait to see it,” says Andrew Morton, who wrote the groundbreaking 1992 book Diana: Her True Story – In Her Own Words. “I thought Emma Corrin’s portrayal of a youthful Diana was spot-on, but when I was watching The Night Manager I remember saying at the time that Elizabeth Debicki would be the next Diana.
“Her character was graceful and glamorous but also vulnerable, as was Diana. She was the most adored woman in the world and yet she felt under threat, and Elizabeth has got to convey that as well.”
Former Fleet Street photographer Ken Lennox, who spent two decades travelling around the world with Diana, agrees.
“It’s a difficult job for any actress to portray Diana, but I did a double take when I saw Elizabeth,” he says. “Her skin tone is perfect. Diana had the most beautiful, flawless skin; she was as close to the perfect English rose as you could get.
“She looked more like a gazelle than a human being; she was beautiful, elegant and graceful and she moved like a ballerina, with her toes turned out.
“Her eyes were amazing and if she was upset with me she could turn
on the lasers that could melt a tank. And she was instinctively bright.”
Elizabeth, who turns 31 this week – on 24 August – says she feels “honoured” to be given the chance to play such an iconic figure as Diana in series five and six, the first of which will be aired next year.
“It’s a dream role,” she said. “She is such a remarkable human being and she really does still live in the hearts of so many people. I’m overwhelmed, I’m terrified and I’m excited.”
The actress, who grew up in Australia, recently told how she views Diana as “a magical person” who left a lasting impression on people around the world, both young and old. “I think it’s amazing that, from the age of seven, I would remember somebody who had no actual impact on my life as a child in Australia – and yet I was very aware of her presence in the world,” she said.
“I remember seeing her face on magazines. My mother was very aware of her, as I think a lot of women close to her age were. She followed her intimately because she represented something human and symbolic. ”
NEW ERA
Elizabeth, whose Polish father and Australian mother were both ballet dancers, got her Hollywood break in 2013 in Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby before landing a role in Marvel action adventure Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
She’s recently starred alongside Robert Pattinson, Sir Kenneth Branagh and Sir Michael Caine in action thriller Tenet, but it’s as Tom
Hiddleston’s lover Jed in the 2016 TV adaptation of John le Carré thriller The Night Manager that she really turned heads.
Her role in The Crown comes as the show enters a new era and the entire cast is replaced for the final time. Dominic West will take on the role of the Prince of Wales, while Imelda Staunton replaces Olivia Colman as the Queen and Jonathan Pryce takes over as the Duke of Edinburgh.
The final two seasons are likely to touch on Diana’s humanitarian work after she left the royal family – something Elizabeth, who’s a global ambassador for the charity Women For Women International, which helps survivors of war rebuild their lives – admires.
“[Diana’s] ability to illuminate people or issues, to draw awareness – that was an incredible power, which I think she used intelligently and compassionately, ” Elizabeth says.