Spencer trailer: what happens in teaser of Princess Diana film starring Kristen Stewart - and when is it out?

The movie portrays Diana as she realises her marriage to Prince Charles is over
Royal fans have finally been given a first glimpse of Kristen Stewart as Lady Diana Spencer (Picture: Neon)Royal fans have finally been given a first glimpse of Kristen Stewart as Lady Diana Spencer (Picture: Neon)
Royal fans have finally been given a first glimpse of Kristen Stewart as Lady Diana Spencer (Picture: Neon)

The latest depiction of Princess Diana has hit UK cinemas, as Kristen Stewart portrays a stressed, broken and isolated Diana, in this stunning new movie.

Royal life has always had more to it that what we see on TV and Pablo Larraín’s Spencer’ looks to be a captivating depiction of the private life of the people’s princess.

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Larraín’s version is not another long-winded version of the years leading to the people’s princess’ untimely death, nor is it an attempt to re-imagine the entire life of lady Spencer.

So, what is it about and when was it released? This is everything you need to know about Spencer.

Royal fans have finally been given a first glimpse of Kristen Stewart as Lady Diana Spencer (Picture: Neon)Royal fans have finally been given a first glimpse of Kristen Stewart as Lady Diana Spencer (Picture: Neon)
Royal fans have finally been given a first glimpse of Kristen Stewart as Lady Diana Spencer (Picture: Neon)

What is ‘Spencer’ about?

The movie is based on events which took place across three days of Diana’s life, during the days leading up to Christmas 1991.

It depicts Diana’s realisation that her marriage to Charles is over and her worries about the future of herself and her two young sons.

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Stewart (best known for her moody role as Bella Swan in Twilight) plays the princess at the age of 29, a pivotal year which shaped much of her future.

Spencer - named in fitting form to Diana’s maiden name - is based at Windsor Castle on the Royal’s Sandringham estate, the house where the British Royal family continues to celebrate festivities as a large extended group.

Stewart said the story was: “a dive inside an emotional imagining of who Diana was at a pivotal turning point in her life.

“It is a physical assertion of the sum of her parts, which starts with her given name; Spencer.

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It is a harrowing effort for her to return to herself, as Diana strives to hold onto what the name Spencer means to her.”

What happens in the trailer?

The trailer, released by production company Neon, starts with the pomp and pageantry of a princess - with flawless dresses picked out for each photo opportunity and faultless dinners prepared with the finest produce.

It quickly becomes apparent that the film will not proceed on this discourse as a hurried and breathless Stewart sighs at the thought of spending time with her in-laws.

The trailer tells the audience Diana is ostracised as she appears alone throughout much of the teaser, only grimacing a smile when her two young sons are with her.

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As it ends, the maid can be seen with Diana in the royal residence gardens, she tells the princess “They know everything”, to which Diana replies “they don’t.”

It ends with Stewart saying: “Will they kill me do you think?”

The latest trailer also gives viewers a first glimpse of Diana in her wedding dress, as well as her volatile with Prince Charles and the press.

Is it based on true events?

Though there is very little which can be verified, it is largely believed that in December 1990, Princess Diana realised her marriage was no longer salvageable.

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She is thought to have reached this conclusion while on a Christmas break at Windsor Castle, with her two sons and Prince Charles.

Diana famously told BBC’s Panorama in 1995, the year before she and Charles divorced, that “there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded,” referring to Charles’ relationship with Camilla while he was married to Diana.

Though this revelation came after the movie is set, Diana confronted Camilla about the affair at Camilla’ sister’s birthday party in 1989 - therefore she would have been aware of it at the time the movie is set.

Prince Charles revealed to Jonathon Dimbleby in 1994 that he had rekindled his relationship with Camilla Parker-Bowles in 1996, when his marriage to the late princess had already “irretrievably broken down”.

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While no one will know for certain how Diana felt in these lonely days when she ultimately decided her decade of marriage was over, Lady Di did keep a remarkable journal of audio tapes, interviews and letters, which provide evidence of her concerns over both her and Charles’ extramarital affairs.

Diana once described how “[Charles] made me feel so inadequate in every possible way, that each time I came up for air he pushed me down again."

She was also heard on tapes in 1992, declaring she had been “deeply in love with someone” in the mid 1980s, who was not her husband and that she was “quite happy to give all this up [and] just to go off and live with him".

It is largely believed she was referring to her security guard, Royal Protection Officer Barry Mannakee, who was later removed from his role and transferred to the Diplomatic Protection Squad.

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The couple’s “amicable separation” was announced on 6 December 1992 in the House of Commons, by John Major, who was prime minister at the time.

Prince Charles and Lady Diana divorced in 1996.

How have directors and producers researched the facts?

The production of the film has been based largely around Diana’s fight to remain true to herself and ensure her relationship with her two young sons is not compromised by the divorce.

This is a subject she spoke at length about - including with her butler and close friends.

Script producer Knight told Variety: “Working on the script has been a pleasure. I think it’s a different perspective on a story that we don’t all know well, but we all feel we now are a part of it.

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“I just found the whole thing fascinating. To talk to people who knew her and to try and get a view of this person - who this person really was - who was an ordinary person in extraordinary situations, is the way I think of her."

Diana famously wrote letters to her butler, Paul Burrell, in which she expressed her belief that Charles was having affairs with other women.

These claims have never been proven to be true but her butler has since gone on to appear in several documentaries about the life of Diana.

Diana’s close friend, Simone Simons has also been vocal about tensions between Diana and Prince Phillip in the last years of her marriage to his son.

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There has been no confirmation as to who may have been consulted prior to the production of the movie, but the tapes and letters have been widely published and printed throughout the late 90s and 2000s.

When is it released?

Spencer was released in cinemas across the UK on 5 November.