The First Photo of Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana Will Make You Do a Double Take

Kristen Stewart transformed into the late Princess Diana for the upcoming movie, Spencer. Scroll on to see the actress physically take on the royal role.

By Samantha Schnurr Jan 27, 2021 4:06 PMTags

Spoiler alert: you won't believe your eyes. 

Months after news broke Kristen Stewart would be playing Princess Diana in the upcoming Pablo Larraín-directed film, Spencer, the first photo of the actress in character has been released—and it might have you doing a double take. 

Sporting a red coat, Diana's signature blond hair cut and a black hat with netting over her face, Stewart's resemblance of the late Princess of Wales is simply undeniable, down to even her forlorn facial expression. 

The movie, which is set to be released in the fall ahead of the 25th anniversary of Diana's death in 2022, will center on a December 1991 weekend as Princess Diana spends Christmas with the royal family and makes a significant decision to end her marriage to Prince Charles.

"The Prince and Princess of Wales' marriage has long since grown cold. Though rumours of affairs and a divorce abound, peace is ordained for the Christmas festivities at Sandringham Estate," the film's description reads. "There's eating and drinking, shooting and hunting. Diana knows the game. This year, things will be a whole lot different."

As fans may recall, their divorce was finalized in August 1996, one year before the mother of two's tragic, untimely death. 

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"Spencer is a dive inside an emotional imagining of who Diana was at a pivotal turning point in her life," Stewart said in a statement. "It is a physical assertion of the sum of her parts, which starts with her given name; Spencer. It is a harrowing effort for her to return to herself, as Diana strives to hold onto what the name Spencer means to her."

In addition to Stewart, the film will also star Timothy Spall, Sally Hawkins and Sean Harris

Courtesy of Pablo Larraín

In just a matter of months, the 30-year-old actress will join star-studded history as one of the many actresses to portray the beloved Lady Di. 

"It's hard not to feel protective over her. I mean, she was, like, so young and obviously she comes out to here," Stewart told Jimmy Kimmel in November. "I mean, everyone's perspective is different and there's no way to get anything right because of, like, what is fact in relation to personal experience? My movie takes place over, like, three days, and it's this, like, really poetic internal imagining of what that might have felt like rather than giving, like, new information. So, we kind of don't have a mark to hit. We just also love her."