While both Kristen Stewart's and Elizabeth Debicki's take on Princess Diana are the portrayals we are currently awaiting, there are other talented A-listers who have pulled off Lady Di effortlessly! It's almost been 25 years since her tragic passing, and until this day, she's ingrained in people's minds and still inspires those in the entertainment industry.
The public fell in love with the compassionate and beautiful Princess of Wales, and she had such a remarkable gift for connecting with people. Lady Di will forever be an embodiment of love, and for that, until this day, she remains an icon in a world that misses her soul terribly. However, some talented actresses have been able to portray the admired princess on screen. They've all had the strength and courage to step into her shoes and bring her back to life - even if just for a little while.
So, who are the women who donned a tiara and played the beloved Lady Di? Read below.
10 Caroline Bliss
The slender blonde-haired blue-eyed British actress was the perfect fit for Princess Diana in Charles & Diana: A Royal Love Story. The film came out in 1982, and if you do the math, you'll quickly recall that the Princess of Wales was still alive then. The public was simply obsessed with the story of their love from the day they met, hence the movie's release.
Bliss was the first to step into the famous shoes of the lovable Princess Diana, just 14 months after she said "I Do" to Prince Charles. Surprisingly, the film crew selected Bliss when she had no prior credited roles, making her portrayal as Lady Di her first major stint.
9 Catherine Oxenberg
We wonder what the popular Princess Diana thought of the actresses portraying her while she was still living. And she probably approved, as she didn't have a single bad bone in her body.
Also in 1982, a little over a year after the Prince and Princess of Wales tied the knot, a film on their romance was made for CBS. Titled The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana, it starred Oxenberg and Christopher Baines as Prince Charles. And thanks to the humble Lady Di, Oxenberg landed her breakthrough role on the TV film just like the aforementioned, actress Caroline Bliss.
8 Nicola Formby
So many talented ladies resemble Princess Diana - it's beyond striking! Nicola Formby, in 1992, played Princess Diana in The Women of Windsor, which retold the story of Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York. At the time, both marriages were all the world spoke of because both announced their respective separations just two months after the film was released.
During such a rocky time, Formby accepted the crown and played the role of Di's life with grace. And when she and the actor that portrayed Prince Charles were together on screen, you'd almost be fooled into thinking they were the real deal.
7 Serena Scott Thomas
You may just recognize this glowing familiar face! And when this film was first released, fans were absolutely in love with Thomas, who perfected the portrayal.
The film was based on Andrew Morton's biography, which captured all of Diana'a highest and lowest moments when part of the British royal family. Thomas' role in the 1992 biopic, Diana: Her True Story, was acclaimed as the closest to an official portrayal of the widely missed Princess Di. Diana was still alive then, and the film was written with her consent and input, applying even more pressure on Thomas to ace the role of the famous Lady Di.
6 Julie Cox
If you're an enthusiast of Princess Di, you may know of the affair that she had with the riding instructor. In the romance and drama Princess in Love, Julie Cox had big shoes to fill since it largely focused on Princess Diana and British Army officer James Hewitt.
The 1996 TV movie also came out the same year that Diana's divorce was finalized, making Cox's performance an important one. While all eyes were on the real Diana Spencer, Cox was also in the spotlight because the scandalous portrayal caused quite a stir when it came out.
5 Amy Seccombe
Princess Diana's life was the furthest thing from private, and it's all on show in this film which starred Amy Seccombe as the iconic Di.
Only one year after her tragic passing, in 1998, the Diana: A Tribute to the People's Princess was released. The movie tells the story of Princess Diana's last year, from May 1996 to her fatal accident in August 1997. Seccombe did a great job at Princess Diana, considering it was the first movie to come out since the car crash that took her life away. What made it even more difficult was that once again, the film focused on the romance between her and another man - Dodi Fayed. And tears were definitely shed as Seccombe looked so similar to the late Lady Di.
4 Genevieve O'Reilly
In 2007, TLC released a document-style film which featured the glamorous Genevieve O'Reilly as the admirable Diana Spencer. The talented actress left us all with a memorable depiction of The People's Princess.
Before the more recent actresses who are to depict the late princess came along, O'Reilly was a spitting image of the fashion icon and humanitarian. Until this day, the Irish-Australian actress is known for her work in the television docudrama titled Diana: Last Days of a Princess. It was peculiar and different from its predecessors as it featured both O'Reilly's reenactment and real footage and interviews of Diana.
3 Jeanna De Waal
Although the world stopped amid the pandemic, the show must now go on! And now, it's up to Jeanna de Waal to walk the Princess Di walk on stage in the Broadway musical, Diana: A True Musical Story.
In a play written by Bon Jovi keyboardist, David Bryan and Joe DiPietro, de Waal is playing the role of Diana in a very specific time in her life, when she began rebelling and going against all odds in the British monarchy. Besides looking like Diana Spencer's doppelganger, de Waal is being praised for bringing the princess back to life in her portrayal. She's even being treated like the princess herself, with fans chasing her down for selfies and autographs.
2 Naomi Watts
A face and name we know all too well - the talented Hollywood A-lister, Naomi Watts!
Princess Diana certainly left a legacy that possibly no one will ever follow-up to, but Watts placed the tiara on her own head and suddenly, it was like The People's Princess never left us. Intially, when Watts was approached to play the role of the world's favorite former royal, the actres told E! News in an interview that she was hesitant to accept the role of Diana. Watts truly immersed herself into the role by employing a dialogue coach, watching interviews of Lady Di tirelessly and using prosthetics, but even that failed to convince the press.
1 Emma Corrin
And alas, before Elizabeth Debicki and Kristen Stewart show us what they're made of, we have to praise Emma Corrin's exceptional portrayal on Netflix's The Crown.
Princess Di's lookalike certainly did royal justice to the icon, as she channeled Di's most memorable looks.Yes, we were instantly fooled when Corrin put on the recreation of Princess Diana's wedding dress. Appearing on Season 4 of the series, Corrin stepped into the shoes of Diana Spencer in the first years of her marriage.