Everything Emma Corrin Has Said About Playing Princess Diana on 'The Crown'

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Emma Corrin’s portrayal of the late Princess Diana on season 4 of Netflix's 'The Crown' earned her a Golden Globe — what she's said about the role

A legendary portrayal. Emma Corrin only got to play the late Princess Diana on one season of The Crown, but she made an indelible mark on the role.

The My Policeman star landed the role in early 2019 and made her debut in season 4 of the Netflix series, which premiered in November 2020. The eight-episode season focused heavily on Prince Charles (Josh O’Connor) and Diana in the early days of their marriage.

“I remember when I got offered the role, one of the directors, Ben Caron, talked to me and was like, ‘Your life is going to change a lot. You’ll probably feel overwhelmed at times and quite scared with the amount of press attention you’ll get, and it will feel exciting at the same time,'” Corrin told The Daily Beast in January 2021.

The actress, however, used those feelings to her advantage, as the real-life Diana was hounded by photographers until her death in 1997. “[Ben] said, ‘Anytime you’re pap’d or someone is following you and you get some weird attention that is scary to you, use it, because that is exactly what she would be going through,'” the U.K. native continued. “And that helped me, because while we were filming, my trajectory echoed hers in a way.”

Though Elizabeth Debicki will take over the role of Diana for season 5, Corrin certainly made a strong impression on fans and critics during her brief time with the show. She won a Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice Television Award for her performance, and she was later nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Primetime Emmy.

Though he didn’t comment specifically on Corrin’s portrayal, Prince Harry admitted in February 2021 that he has seen at least some of The Crown. “It’s loosely based on the truth,” the Invictus Games founder told James Corden. “Of course it’s not strictly accurate, but … it gives you a rough idea about what that lifestyle, what the pressures of putting duty and service above family and everything else, what can come from that.”

Still, the Pennyworth alum has no plans to ask Harry or his brother, Prince William, for their opinion if she ever meets them. “I’d be interested to know what they think,” she told British GQ in November 2020. That said, she added: “If I ever saw them at a party, I’d probably leave!”

Keep scrolling to see everything Corrin has said about playing the late princess: