How accurate is Spencer? Separating Princess Diana fact from fiction
Biopic stars Kristen Stewart as the late ‘people’s princess’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.This week sees the release of Spencer, a new biopic focusing on the late Princess Diana.
The film stars Kristen Stewart as the Princess of Wales, and is set over a three-day Christmas period towards the end of her marriage to Prince Charles.
While critics have lavished praise on the film – with many tipping Stewart for Oscar contention next year – some voices have criticised Spencer for taking liberties with the facts.
Last month, a number of Diana’s friends told The Telegraph that they believed the late royal would have been “horrified” by her representation in Spencer, and disputed several of the events depicted in the film.
However, Spencer’s director Pablo Larraín has said that he never intended the film to be entirely accurate, instead setting out to create a “fable” rooted in reality but taking artistic licence with its story.
You can read The Independent’s interview with the filmmaker here.
Here’s a brief rundown of the things Spencer got right and wrong. Some spoilers may follow...
Charles and Diana’s separation
Though an exact date is never fixed to the events of Spencer, it is assumed that the film takes place around Christmas day in 1991, shortly before Charles and Diana officially announced they were separating.
In the film, it is Diana who walks out on Charles, but in reality Diana claimed that Charles was the one who ultimately decided to end the marriage.
Diana’s childhood home
Several key story points in Spencer revolve around the proximity of Diana’s childhood home to Sandringham House, where she is staying with the royal family to celebrate Christmas.
In real life, Diana did grow up on land near the Queen’s holiday palace, however, the property was not believed to be abandoned at that point, as it is shown in the film, having been converted to a hospital after Diana’s family vacated.
Diana’s mental health struggles
Various biographers have described Diana’s intense unhappiness during visits to Sandringham house, and she was publicly open about her struggle with bulimia.
One particularly distressing scene in Spencer sees Diana injure herself deliberately with a pair of wire cutters. However, Ingrid Seward, the editor of Majesty magazine, who knew and wrote about Diana, has said that this wouldn’t have happened during the Christmas period of 1991.
“That Christmas she was there with Fergie, she was pretty miserable and she wasn’t speaking to Charles, but she wasn’t cutting herself at that stage,” she told The Telegraph. “They’ve piled every bad thing into one weekend, which is taking poetic licence a little far.”
The ghost of Anne Boleyn
There is no evidence to suggest that Diana really witnessed the ghost of Henry VIII’s second wife, and science suggests that such a ghost did not exist in real life.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments