All Of The Actors Who Have Played Princess Diana On Screen, Ranked By Their Project Reviews

Portraying any historical figure is no easy task, but playing Princess Diana is especially challenging. Diana is beloved. Dubbed "The People's Princess" while she was still alive, people from around the world admired her in a way few other celebrities can relate to. According to Guinness World Records, about 750 million people watched her 1981 wedding to then-Prince Charles; her 1997 funeral also reached approximately 2.5 billion viewers (via History.com), making both services among the most-watched television events in history.

Diana is an icon, and such legendary status is hard to capture on screen. Many have tried, but few have adequately portrayed her — at least according to reviews. Dozens of screen projects have dramatized different parts of the late princess' life, and only a handful have resulted in praise from critical audiences. Take a look at all the actors who have played Diana on screen, ranked by their project reviews.

The first movie about Princess Diana to be released after her death is also the worst-rated of her biographical films on IMDb. "Diana: A Tribute to the People's Princess" premiered in 1998, just a year after she died. It has garnered a rating of 3.7 out of 10 stars on IMDb. British actor Amy Seccombe, who bore a striking resemblance to Diana, was tapped for the lead role within months of the late princess' death.

Perhaps the rushed timeline made the project such a disaster for reviewers. "What can I say about this film apart from do not pay any money to watch it, the acting is dreadful, the script is just as bad, the sets are so cheap," one viewer wrote on IMDb. Seccombe had only one other screen credit as a stand-in when the movie debuted, so it shouldn't come as a shock that her portrayal of an iconic figure like Diana is widely considered the worst.

A slightly better depiction of Princess Diana's life was released shortly before her death. The 1996 made-for-TV movie "Princess in Love" was an adaptation of the book of the same name by Anna Pasternak, which told the story of the affair between Diana and her riding instructor, Captain James Hewitt. "Princess in Love" starred Julie Cox as Diana, and IMDb reviewers rated it 4.2 out of 10 stars.

Few viewers left a review on IMDb, but those who did agreed that Cox looked nothing like Diana and that the filmmakers put no effort into making her resemble the famous royal. But despite the film's apparent flaws, Cox was a high point, at least for one reviewer. "Julie Cox does an appealing performance here, you never notice that she looks nothing like the real Diana. All in all, a reasonably good choice in a romantic tragedy," the netizen expressed on IMDb.

Princess Diana and then-Prince Charles divorced in 1996, but they separated in 1992. Although anyone paying attention to the royal family at the time could have predicted the split, the news was still shocking and major, and it almost instantly spurred a new made-for-TV movie. That movie was "Charles and Diana: Unhappily Ever After," which was released the same year as the prince and princess' separation. Catherine Oxenberg portrayed Diana, and she is among the few actors to depict the princess during her lifetime.

The film has a rating of 4.6 out of 10 stars on IMDb, but despite its low aggregate, one audience member praised Oxenberg's work: "Catherine Oxenburg's portrayal of Princess Diana is spot on in this movie about Charles and Diana's failed marriage. She shows a full range of emotions and the audience can relate and feel for her character."

Another made-for-TV movie that was released shortly after Princess Diana's separation from then-Prince Charles was "Diana: Her True Story." This film is twice as long as the aforementioned "Unhappily Ever After," and its length seemed to make only a marginal difference in quality, as it received a rating of 4.8 out of 10 stars from IMDb users. This film, like "Princess in Love," was based on a book, "Diana: Her True Story in Her Own Words" by Andrew Morton.

Serena Scott Thomas, best known for films like "Inherent Vice" and "The World Is Not Enough," took on the role of Diana, and her performance garnered mixed reviews. While one IMDb reviewer wrote, "Serena Scott Thomas is spot on as Princess Diana," another user on the platform stated, "The acting is terrible and none of the actors resemble their real-life counterparts." All in all, the film does not come highly recommended. "This movie is so bad it's painful to watch," the reviewer wrote.

In a movie titled "William & Catherine: A Royal Romance," audiences might not expect Princess Diana to be included. Diana died in 1997, and Prince William and Princess Catherine's romance didn't begin until they met in 2001, so the two princesses never crossed paths. But thanks to the magic of the movies, this 2011 Hallmark flick featured both women, with Lesley Harcourt playing Diana in a flashback scene.

IMDb users gave this made-for-TV movie a rating of 4.9 out of 10 stars, with one viewer warning, "Do not waste your time on this unless you are an unapologetic royal sycophant." Being that this was a Hallmark movie, it got a little more attention than some of the previously listed offerings, and some reviews were a little softer, reminding readers to expect a quintessential Hallmark romance. Harcourt's performance didn't get much mention, but Jean Smart and Victor Garber as Camilla and Charles, respectively, were praised for their work.

Prince William and Princess Catherine's royal wedding was a major event. An estimated 1 billion people (via Westminster Abbey) around the world tuned in to the televised nuptials, and it's still talked about by royal watchers and wedding lovers. But long before that wedding, then-Prince Charles and Princess Diana had a royal wedding of their own, and at the time, they set a world record for the largest TV audience for a wedding. Then-Prince Charles and Princess Diana's wedding was so major that "Charles & Diana: A Royal Love Story" dramatized the affair.

The made-for-TV movie came out in 1982, just a year after the wedding happened. IMDb users gave it 5.0 out of 10 stars, and those who took the time to write a review had little good to say about it. Caroline Bliss played Diana, and one reviewer surmised that she and her co-stars only starred in the film for the money. "Caroline Bliss also has a similarity to Diana, but [she is] defeated by a script that could only happen in a fairy tale and we know those are fictional," one reviewer wrote on IMDb. The film was Bliss' first professional screen acting credit, and she hasn't appeared in television or film since 1996.

There is plenty of cinematic juice to squeeze from the fruit that is the royal family. In 2005, "Whatever Love Means," a film dramatizing the story of King Charles and Queen Camilla long before they were king and queen consort, aired on TV. Because their love story famously includes the affair they had while Charles was married to Princess Diana, the late royal was also dramatized in this movie. Michelle Duncan took on the role, and the reviews of her performance were mixed. While one IMDb reviewer wrote, "Michelle Duncan played a good Diana," another on the platform remarked, "The actress playing Diana is a total miscast."

Overall, audiences seemed to side with the negative reviewer. IMDb users rated it 5.2 out of 10 stars. While that's certainly better than many dramatizations of Diana and the rest of the royal family, it's nothing to brag about either. "Overall dreadful and not worth anyone of a discerning nature wasting time," an IMDb user concluded.

In 2007, 10 years after Princess Diana's tragic death, Genevieve O'Reilly portrayed the late royal in the docudrama "Diana: Last Days of a Princess." Per the title, this project dramatizes Diana's life just before the accident that caused her untimely death. The film scored 5.5 out of 10 stars on IMDb, which is about as good as a royal biopic featuring Diana has scored on the platform.

Viewers of royal biopics often become critical when the actor doesn't look like the royal they are portraying, especially when it's Diana. With O'Reilly, director Richard Dale knew the actor didn't resemble the late princess, but he was okay with that. "Genevieve doesn't look like Diana, but she can act. She worked constantly on the little [idiosyncrasies], the voice. I'd look at the video playback (of a scene) and suddenly I'd think I was watching archive footage of Diana herself," he told HeraldNet. Given the movie's reception compared to biopics that came before it, it seems Dale made the right choice with O'Reilly.

Many actors might see playing Princess Diana as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. She's an iconic historical and pop-culture figure, and the project will likely draw high viewership. Catherine Oxenberg just might be the envy of those actors as she's played the famed princess twice — once in "Charles & Diana: Unhappily Ever After" and in the 1982 made-for-TV movie "The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana."

The latter came out 10 years before the former, and it fared slightly better with reviewers, garnering a 5.6 out of 10 stars on IMDb. Still, the reviews of Oxenberg's performance were mixed, with one IMDB reviewer calling it "reasonably good" and another writing, "Catherine Oxenberg did one of the best jobs playing Diana." "The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana" was also a bit happier of a story than "Unhappily Ever After," as it was made before then-Prince Charles and Diana's relationship deteriorated.

One of the most notable biopics about Princess Diana is 2013's "Diana," starring Naomi Watts as the late princess. Watts was initially unsure about taking on the role and turned it down twice before agreeing to the project. "I do care deeply about how the princes feel," she told the Sunday Times (per ABC News), referring to Diana's sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. In the end, it might have been better had Watts stuck to her first decision, at least in the eyes of reviewers. 

While IMDb reviewers rated "Diana" 5.6 out of 10 stars, the film scored just 7% with critics on Rotten Tomatoes. "As Diana, Naomi Watts seems as unaware of how to bring to life her 'character' (because it seems too tasteless to refer to this film's version as anything other than that) as her character seems perplexed by how a microwave oven works," a reviewer for Slant wrote. Watts, in retrospect, appears to agree with reviewers that the movie was not good. "Ultimately there were problems [with the film] and it ended up taking a direction that was not the one I was hoping for. With risk there is every chance it's going to fail. If you have to go down with that sinking ship, so be it," she told Vanity Fair.

Of all the made-for-TV movies about the royal family that feature depictions of Princess Diana, "The Women of Windsor" has fared the best among reviewers. This film, which dramatized Diana and Sarah Ferguson's lives, scored 5.9 out of 10 stars on IMDb. But don't take that to mean that all viewers liked the film. Reviews were still mixed, especially concerning the performance of Nicola Formby as Diana. 

"Nicola Formby's Diana is spot on. She has Diana's mannerisms nailed, and delivers the performance with a rhythm that echoes Diana without actually imitating her," one IMDb reviewer wrote. "The actress Nicola Formby who played Princess Diana was just not right for the part. She looked a little bit like Princess Diana but that was all I could get from her playing the part," another IMDb user contradicted. Ultimately, like some made-for-TV movie, don't expect Oscar-winning work from this film, but if it's on TV, fans of the royal family might enjoy watching it.

One of the best portrayals of Princess Diana came from Kristen Stewart in 2021. Still best known for playing Bella Swan in the "Twilight" series, Stewart cemented herself as one of the best actors of her generation with this role, earning her first Oscar nomination. "It was a hard job, but it was so much fun; she's such a beautiful person to think about. It felt very, very, very good to be her. This imagined skin was something that made me feel amazing," Stewart told Vogue Australia of playing the princess.

"Spencer" was well-received, too. IMDb users rated the film 6.5 out of 10 stars, and it earned an 83% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. "Stewart captures Diana's fragility and her yearning to escape the strictures of the family she's found herself in," a Sight & Sound reviewer wrote. And the casting was never in question. The film's director, Pablo Larraín, noted in the Vogue interview, "I knew from the beginning that I wanted Kristen for this film."

Another fantastic dramatization of the royal family came from "The Crown," the Netflix series that lasted six seasons and covered decades of Windsor history. The show earned a whopping 24 Primetime Emmy Awards during its run, including one for Elizabeth Debicki's performance as Princess Diana. Debicki played Diana in the last two seasons of the show, covering her later years — the most tragic parts of her life. One aspect of Debicki's performance that was praised by reviewers was her physicality; the actor worked with the show's movement coach to ensure she accurately portrayed Diana's body language and mannerisms. "We spend a lot of time with these characters just living in their bodies," Debicki said in an interview with Netflix.

Overall, the show was beloved by fans and well-received by critics. It scored 8.6 out of 10 stars on IMDb and an 81% overall on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the two seasons that featured Debicki as Diana were the lowest-rated of the series, with Seasons 5 and 6 garnering 71% and 54% on Rotten Tomatoes, respectively. Still, Debicki stood out as one of the best actors to ever play Diana. "Perfectly cast, the new season of 'The Crown' is powered by amazing acting, led by a statuesque Elizabeth Debicki," a reviewer for The Hindu wrote.

The best reviews of a project depicting Princess Diana came from Season 4 of "The Crown," in which Emma Corrin portrayed Diana. The season earned an outstanding 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, making Corrin's performance the highest-rated among all other on-screen dramatizations of the late princess. Their performance was award-winning, too. Overall, the show took home a Critics' Choice Award, a Golden Globe, and 11 Primetime Emmys in the major and creative arts categories, among others. "The whole whirlwind inevitably revolves around the arrival of the late Princess Diana who is almost brought back to life by brilliant newcomer Emma Corrin," a reviewer for The Sun praised their performance.

Like others who have played Diana, Corrin had to work to get the physicality of the princess right, and they even did it before they got the role. In Interview Magazine, Corrin shared that they watched a documentary about Diana to prepare for their audition, and they rehearsed several times with their mother, a speech therapist. "There were things I tried to emulate, like Diana's head tilt and her voice. She had a very unique way of speaking," Corrin said.

We ranked these projects primarily by their cumulative rating on IMDb. In the event of a tie, such as the two seasons of "The Crown," we used ratings on Rotten Tomatoes as a tie-breaker.