Royal Insiders Flabbergasted At Who Was Cast To Play Princess Diana In New Biopic ‘Spencer’

Royal insiders from all over the globe were shocked on Wednesday when it was announced that 30-year-old Twilight actress Kristen Stewart has been cast to play Princess Diana in the upcoming Pablo Larraín-directed movie Spencer. Now, royal insiders are reacting to this surprising casting news, and many of them are warning that Stewart is the wrong choice for the role.

The film, which is due to begin shooting early next year, will tell the story of the Christmas holiday in the early 1990s during which Diana realized that her marriage to Prince Charles was over, and that she needed to step back from royal life.

Royal Insiders React To Kristen Stewart’s Casting As Princess Diana

Some reactions to Stewart’s casting in the role of the late princess were more neutral in tone. Leslie Carroll, author of “Diana and Charles: Royal Affairs and Notorious Royal Marriages” remarked:

“Ms. Stewart has a built-in fan base from her ‘Twilight’ movies, so the producers may be counting on her name recognition to draw viewers. It might be interesting to learn whether she was auditioned for the role against other actresses and was deemed the best fit, or whether she was offered it,” Carroll told Fox News. “If she can embody Diana’s body language and convey her famous breathy, posh Sloane Ranger voice, it won’t matter where she was born.”

Tom Quinn, who wrote “Kensington Palace: An Intimate Memoir from Queen Mary to Meghan Markle,” warned that while Stewart is a “great actor,” she will have her work cut out for her in the role, as British fans will be critical of a “wrong accent.”

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Expert Slams Princess Diana Casting Choice In Spencer

Neil Sean, a media correspondent in the United Kingdom who wrote “The A to Z of Harry and Meghan,” was not nearly so kind to Stewart.

He explained that “the news here in the U.K. is simply this… Why? There are many British actresses who would have been better for this role.”

“The other real problem with this is the fact that it’s an old story covered countless times so without some great groundbreaking new angle again, what could we possibly learn?” he added. 

Not stopping there, Sean pointed out that Diana’s sons Prince William and Prince Harry will “loathe any kind of exploitation of their late mother’s name.”

He also said that “the casting of one of the world’s most famous women in Stewart just shows how out of tune the makers are with what the public’s image and above all love for such a great lady is.”

Some people are on board though, noting similar qualities:

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Director Stands By Spencer Casting Decision 

Regardless of the backlash he has received, Larraín is standing by his decision to cast Stewart. 

“Kristen is one of the great actors around today,” he told Deadline, going on to say:

“To do this well, you need something very important in film, which is mystery. Kristen can be many things, and she can be very mysterious and very fragile an[d] ultimately very strong as well, which is what we need. The combination of those elements made me think of her. The way she responded to the script and how she is approaching the character, it’s very beautiful to see. I think she’s going to do something stunning and intriguing at the same time. She is this force of nature.”

Larraín concluded by explaining that the film will tell the story of Diana “finding herself, about understanding that possibly the most important thing for her is to be well and to be with herself and by herself.”