Kristen Stewart Says Diana, William and Harry Were Like "An Unstoppable Beast" Together

It was powerful to portray their bond in Spencer.

los angeles, california october 26 kristen stewart attends the los angeles premiere of neons spencer at dga theater complex on october 26, 2021 in los angeles, california photo by amy sussmangetty images
(Image credit: Amy Sussman)

To play Princess Diana in upcoming movie Spencer (opens in new tab)Kristen Stewart (opens in new tab) had to do intense research into the late royal's life. For the actress, one of the most powerful aspects (opens in new tab) of Diana was her close relationship with her sons Princes William (opens in new tab) and Harry (opens in new tab), as she explained in a new interview with Entertainment Tonight (opens in new tab).

Remarking on how skilfully Stewart embodies Princess Diana (opens in new tab), the interviewer asked, "what part of getting her right were you most nervous about or did you work the hardest at in the physical transformation?"

Stewart knew exactly what to say to this. "Probably in the area that requires zero preparation and complete trust and like soul, which is the relationship that she has with her children," she answered. "You know, obviously, we [she and the actors who played the young princes (opens in new tab)] like hung out and tried to get [close] before we actually did the thing and did the scenes, but the whole thing about watching her within that space, when her children are close to her, they are ... it's a nucleus, it's a three-headed animal, sort of unstoppable beast thing."

princess diana 1961 1997 with her sons prince william left and prince harry on a skiing holiday in lech, austria, 30th march 1993 photo by jayne fincherprincess diana archivegetty images

(Image credit: Princess Diana Archive)

For Stewart, there was something primal and instinctive in the relationship between this mother and her two sons, royal or not. "I feel, like, a reverence for that image that is not like ... you know, it's a pretty universal image," she continued. "You don't wanna mess with moms. You just don't do that, and I just... I think she feels so embodied in herself when she's with her kids in all of the research, that I was like, 'man, you know, that's what we're protecting here.'"

Stewart received a standing ovation (opens in new tab) for her performance in Spencer (opens in new tab) at the Venice Film Festival, and that's only one of the million reasons I. Just. Can't. Wait for Nov. 5, when the movie hits theaters.

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Iris Goldsztajn
Morning Editor

Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Bustle and Shape. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.