Charles Spencer doesn’t hold back on Kristen Stewart’s Princess Diana movie

If you’ve ever wondered what Charles Spencer really thinks about filmmakers having a go at his late sister Princess Diana’s story, he’s finally given us a bit of an answer – and he does not mince his words.

‘The film’s terrible. But I was really intrigued by how good she was at capturing Diana.’

That blunt verdict slipped out when Spencer was chatting to journalist Tina Brown at a McNally Jackson Books event, with Variety picking it up. He’d just seen Pablo Larraín’s Spencer – you know, the one where Kristen Stewart plays Diana during one rather suffocating royal Christmas. Stewart landed an Oscar nod for it, but apparently, the film itself didn’t do much for Diana’s brother. He admitted Stewart 'caught the spirit' of Diana brilliantly, despite not really resembling her. But as for the film as a whole, he made it clear he thought it was a dud.

For those who’ve missed it, Spencer is less an old-school royal biopic and more a surreal, psychological slice focusing on Diana’s isolation and struggles with both her marriage and mental health—set over a single festive weekend. The bulimia storyline, all the royal tension, it’s all in there. Stewart’s performance is all about inner turmoil, and by Spencer’s own words, she nails it even if the film around her doesn’t get his approval.

Spencer on Stewart’s portrayal in the film: 'There was Kristen Stewart, who doesn’t really look like Diana, but my goodness, she caught the spirit. I thought it was an incredible performance.'

He also dropped another revelation: he’s never actually watched The Crown. That’s the Netflix epic where Diana’s story stretches out over two actresses—Emma Corrin in Series 4 and Elizabeth Debicki in Series 5 and 6. Apparently, Spencer is aware that both won plenty of acclaim, saying he’d heard the person who played Diana pulled in a load of awards, so he assumes 'she did a good job'. But no, he hasn’t tuned in for any of it. Not exactly appointment viewing for the family, then.

Spencer’s comments come as he’s out plugging his new memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, which promises his own take on Diana’s life and the tangled family history. So it’s not too surprising he’s got opinions about how Hollywood keeps spinning her story.

Kristen Stewart scored an Oscar nomination for playing Diana in Spencer (2021).

To sum it up: one explosive sibling review, a round of applause for Kristen Stewart (just her, not the movie), and still no royal audience for The Crown.