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Royal experts outraged by Kristen Stewart’s ‘cruel’ Diana film Spencer
As the theatrical release date nears for the upcoming Princess Diana film Spencer, royal experts have shared their brutally honest opinions of the biographical drama.
A number of reporters have slammed the film for its portrayal of the late Princess of Wales, calling it “unnecessarily gratuitous” and “cruel”.
Spencer, which had its world premiere at the 78th Venice International Film Festival last month but will hit Australian cinemas in January, follows Diana’s decision to divorce Prince Charles and hence leave the royal family.
It’s been described as “an imagining” of what went down when Diana spent three days over Christmas at the Queen’s Sandringham Estate in 1991.
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According to reviews, the film shows Diana as an “emotionally unstable” woman who self-harms and breaks down in tears in front of her son Prince William.
It’s also reported that she fantasises about throwing herself down a staircase and choking on a pearl necklace that Prince Charles gave her.
Editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, Ingrid Sward, told The Sun that the film’s depiction of the People’s Princess was “really cruel”.
“It is totally unnecessary,” she said. “William and Harry will be very angry and hurt about this. They will find it horrible that their mother is being portrayed in such a huge movie this way.”
Royal biographer Penny Junor echoed these sentiments, calling it “unnecessarily gratuitous”.
“Poor William is all I can say, and let's leave Diana with a shred of respect and dignity. I know William was there when she was unhappy but it sounds to me the movie is factually incorrect.”
Meanwhile, a number of publications have applauded Kristen Stewart for her performance and predict that she will land her first Oscar nomination.
The critics consensus on review site Rotten Tomatoes reads: “Spencer can frustrate with its idiosyncratic depiction of its subject's life, but Kristen Stewart's finely modulated performance anchors the film’s flights of fancy.”
The reports come shortly after Kristen Stewart spoke to 9Honey Celebrity and gave a message to Prince William and Prince Harry.
“I hope they take that we love her more than maybe the movie can even say,” she said, before adding, “That's not true. I think maybe the movie does say it.
“When I think about the actual family watching the movie, I think it's very clear that we are not professing to know anything but that the terrain in which Diana created for all of us to dream and try and connect with each other is vast and we still want to live there. So, I guess, like, thank you.”
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