The global fascination with the Princess of Wales became unmistakable after her tragic death. Filmmakers across genres keep exploring Diana’s life on screen, and with each new project the fascination seems to intensify—only to remind viewers that the full story remains elusive.
Audiences have followed different chapters of Diana’s life: the early romance with Hasnat Khan, the surgeon from Pakistan; the moment she faced Charles’s decision about divorce; the royal family’s public response after her passing; the dramatic arc of her relationship with Charles as depicted in The Crown; and how her image has shaped popular culture. Diana’s death even echoed in other narratives, reminding us how her story has become a perpetual reference point for modern heroines in cinema and television.
Actresses portraying Lady Diana have come from every era. In a famous 1985 Saturday Night Live sketch, Madonna even channels Diana during a pivotal royal gathering with the United States leaders. Looking ahead, anticipation surrounds the upcoming season of The Crown, where the princess again commands screen time after the divorce. Elizabeth Debicki is widely regarded as a leading candidate to embody the role this time around.
Yet many viewers feel the documentary voice is missing from this sprawling biographical tapestry. With so many historical moments tied to Diana, director Ed Perkins has chosen to present a full-length film that centers on her life as a whole and invites a broader examination of the facts that shaped her destiny.
The film opens with the night of Diana’s death in Paris. As visitors stroll near the Ritz, a few tourists capture the moment her car departs on camera. That instant resonates with pain for viewers who already know what follows in minutes—Diana will lose her life in a crash, a fact that casts a long shadow over the retrospective that unfolds.
From there, the narrative retraces the milestones of the future princess’s life: a 19-year-old Diana aligning with a 32-year-old prince, the birth of their children, and the chaotic energy of a royal marriage under constant public scrutiny. The film charts the strain, the separations, and the moment Diana becomes a symbol—an emblem of compassion and humanity that endears her to millions around the world. The relentless gaze of the press is a constant companion, shaping every moment with relentless intensity.
What previously felt familiar—paparazzi blocking streets, crowds surrounding royal cars, and the media’s pervasive reach—takes on new clarity in Perkins’s extended, documentary approach. The footage, assembled into a coherent arc, presents Diana’s life as a modern tragedy of public life intersecting private longing.
Choosing such a subject gives Perkins unquestioned authority. In a landscape crowded with Diana stories, each new work must prove its value by offering fresh insight into Lady Di’s life. Yet Perkins appears less concerned with offering new facts than with presenting a concentrated, unvarnished portrait. The film does not rely on interviews with a broad range of voices; it curates a singular perspective, letting Diana’s own life speak at the center of the narrative.
Because of this quiet, observant stance, The Princess emerges as a compelling account of Diana’s journey. While television dramas like The Crown or films like Spencer can delight with acting and craft, they remain interpretations filtered through directors’ viewpoints. Perkins’s documentary frames events as they unfolded, inviting viewers to read the sequence as a record rather than a commentary.
In this light, Perkins’s documentary style stands out, much like life itself. There is no moral sermon on the costs of media glare, and even the filmmaker’s emotions stay behind the camera. Through a patient, almost observational rhythm spanning nearly two hours, the film invites a straightforward conclusion: by looking at the most intimate moments, it reveals truths that were never meant for the public eye. Perhaps, in its own quiet way, it suggests a moment to turn away from constant scrutiny and let Diana’s memory rest. If there is a lasting takeaway, it is that Diana might have desired distance, a space to be seen on her own terms, free from the never-ending lens of the world.