Twenty-five years after her death, Princess Diana is everywhere. Stories about her life fill books and magazines, while TikTokkers reproduce her famous sweatshirt/biker short combo every winter. Her years of being harassed by paparazzi have come back into the limelight with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s exit from the royal family, while her tumultuous marriage and divorce has been painstakingly recapped since Charles’ accession to the throne. And now, with Season 5 of Netflix’s hit drama series The Crown, it’s safe to say we’re in for another wave of Dianamania.
Not that the previous wave ever really ended. Princess Diana portrayals have been all over film, television, and theater. Naomi Watts played her in the 2013 film Diana, while Kristen Stewart was nominated for an Oscar this year for her spin in Spencer. Emma Corrin captured Diana’s younger vulnerability in The Crown’s fourth season, winning her a slew of awards, and Jeanna de Waal took on the titular role in Diana: A True Musical Story. Maybe our fondness for the former Princess of Wales went a bit too far with that one.
But now, we’re graced with a new depiction that tops any and all previous installments in the Diana Cinematic Universe (coining that now, if it’s still up for grabs). Yes, in the latest season of The Crown, Elizabeth Debicki, famous actress of 6-foot-3 height, takes the reins as an older Diana. And it is an astounding performance. From her uncanny hairstyle and eyeshadow to the protective chin tuck, Debicki hasn’t just emulated the cultural icon; she’s become her.
Before we dive into Debicki’s work, let’s take a step back. The Crown introduced Corrin’s teenage Diana in Season 4, tracing her budding relationship with Prince Charles (Josh O’Connor). After their wedding, Diana and Charles’ struggles take the spotlight, especially Diana’s eating disorder and growing mental health issues. Corrin’s performance as Diana ranges from marital spats on the Australian outback to the excitement of adoring crowds and, in between those extremes, alone time in her bedroom or kitchen, suffocated and suffering.
In Season 5, Debicki makes a clear effort to both build off of Corrin’s performance and make the role her own. In the opening moments of the premiere episode, “Queen Victoria Syndrome,” advisers brief Diana about her and Charles’ (Dominic West) upcoming vacation to Italy, telling Diana that it’s being described as a “second honeymoon.” Diana barely says a word, instead looking up and down, hiding her mouth behind her fist. It’s immediately clear that Debicki has Diana’s mannerisms down pat—and of course, it helps that she looks strikingly similar to Diana, almost like a carbon copy.
But it’s the eyes that really sell it. With just her glance, Debicki’s Diana says exactly what she’s feeling about that term “second honeymoon.” Part of her thinks it’s ludicrous; her marriage has been at death’s doorstep for a while. But there’s a slight glimmer in her eyes, a twinkle that, when accompanied with a small smirk, suggests that Diana is still hopeful she and Charles can find some way to make this work.
It's masterful work from a master actress, and it only gets better from there. In “No Woman’s Land,” a late-season episode following Diana’s life after separating from Charles, Debicki inhabits Diana’s with a constant presence. Her best moments are when she’s at her warmest, like when she talks to Prince William (Senan West) on the phone like he’s her best friend, or when she’s got a giddy crush on Dr. Hasnat Khan (Humayun Saeed). But there’s a particular series of shots in the episode that are especially moving, where Diana visits patients in the hospital, just chatting and laughing with them. They’re a reminder of the real good that Diana did, which we often look back on as a major aspect of her legacy. But here, Debicki performs these kindnesses so naturally, you’d think it was just another day for her.
She perfectly captures Diana’s low moments, too. In the penultimate episode, “Couple 31,” Diana and Charles meet for the first time after their messy divorce. Her body language is tight and protective as they chat about where their marriage went wrong, but she navigates softer moments well, eventually opening up with Charles as they attempt to scramble some eggs for lunch. She delivers one line—“Well, we’re divorced now, so who cares!”—with a light, playful tone that feels like a brief glimpse of who Diana used to be.
And that’s how Debicki makes the role her own: She exists as both Diana of past and Diana of present. She’s not just a tearful mess, although she certainly gets her sobbing moments and screaming matches. While watching The Crown, you feel as though Debicki has incorporated Diana’s entire life, all her good and bad experiences, into the role. Even when she takes slight liberties with her interpretation, like in this now-viral clip from The Crown’s reenactment of Diana’s infamous BBC interview, Debicki gives a lived-in performance.
This feels quite different from other recent Diana portrayals, especially Kristin Stewart’s take in Spencer. Pablo Larraín’s psychological drama gives Stewart free reign to ramp up the melodrama. Now, let me set the record straight before the Film Twitter fights begin: I’m a fan of Stewart’s performance. But there’s sometimes a sense of imitation rather than embodiment, especially when she’s alone. With no one to work off of, parts of Stewart break through her portrayal, and it becomes clear that it’s her playing Diana, not her being Diana.
With so many mannerisms to copy and iconic looks to recreate, playing Diana could be relatively doable. The difference for Debicki is that she’s got it all down pat, as if she were Diana herself. Her performance alone makes Season 5 of The Crown worth the watch. And if you’re not sold on it, you’ll at least find pleasure in Debicki’s towering height.
Yes, it’s true: Debicki, long meme-ified for being 6-foot-3 in real life but never getting to show her true height on-screen, is finally allowed to be tall! She’s a clear head above Charles, which is hilarious given that the real Charles and Diana were the same height, and two of Queen Elizabeth II (Imelda Staunton) would maybe make one Debicki Diana. I think that’s how math works.
