While the absolute truth of events that took place during Lady Diana Spencer’s time as the Princess of Wales in the 1980s and ‘90s are in fact shrouded in privacy laws and secrecy, the large media attention her life and death continue to receive has nonetheless inspired a number of works of fiction: there’s a reasonThe Crownbecame one of Netflix’s highest-rated original series, after all. But it’s Diana’s fairy tale gone wrong that continues to mystify both fans and critics of the royals, pop culture junkies, and anyone who hasn’t been living under a rock in the last three decades.
Last fall,Pablo Larraínreleased his highly anticipated new film,Spencer, followingKristen Stewartas Lady Diana in what was ultimately self-described as a “fable based on a true tragedy.” Indeed, aside from the accounts that Diana and those involved gave to the press in the years leading up to her death, it’s nearly impossible for the general public to know the complete ins and outs of Diana’s experience as part of the British Royal Family. But that hasn’t stopped media speculation as well as filmmakers from imagining what life must have been like for Diana trapped in an arranged, loveless marriage in a royal institution predicated on stifling conservative norms. But what’s more intriguing to most, it appears, is Diana’s relationship with her ex-mother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II.
RELATED:‘Spencer’ Captured Queen Elizabeth’s Essence by Barely Showing Her
‘The Queen’ and ‘Spencer’ Are Fundamentally Different Movies
15 years beforeSpencerhit theatres,Stephen Frearshad directed the highly acclaimed biographical filmThe Queen, which starredHelen Mirrenas Queen Elizabeth II and later brought her the Academy Award for Best Actress, among other accolades. But while the title of the 2006 film might lead the viewer to believe that it’s merely a biopic of the Queen herself, bothSpencerandThe Queenhave one person only driving the storylines: Princess Diana.
It’s futile to directly compare the two films for exactly what they are because they are fundamentally different.Spenceris less a biopic of the Princess of Wales and a more psychological drama film since a good 95% of the film’s action takes place within Diana’s psyche and her reasons for being driven to the brink of madness.The Queenlands somewhere on the biopic spectrum, not particularly a biographical film about one person in particular but rather how the British Royal Family along with the British government received intense backlash over their public handling of Diana’s death. But since she’s both films' driving force, it makes for a compelling look into howSpencerandThe Queeninvert each other.
The Queen’s Presence in ‘Spencer’
While Queen Elizabeth II does appear inSpencer,portrayed byStella Gonet, she is less a character and more a presence. As the royal family gathers at the Queen’s Sandringham estate in Norfolk for the Christmas holidays, it’s merely the fact that Elizabeth is in attendance that makes a statement rather than any line that actually comes out of her mouth. Anywhere from Diana’s strict daily wardrobe while there on holiday to the estate security’s order to sew together her bedroom curtains in an effort to discourage paparazzi photography, Diana’s unwavering unhappiness is dictated, however indirectly, by the Queen’s orders.
Just one look from her at the dining room table, as Diana imagines ripping off her necklace and consuming its pearls, generates a look that says a thousand words, among them perhaps, “Behave in the manner that is expected of you.” The Queen and Diana speak to each other only once inSpencer: when the Queen implies that she, too, used to throw caution to the wind when it came to what outfit she would wear on which day, an interaction that suggests the two women relate to each other a lot more than either of them care to admit. But whether or not Diana was vocal about her deteriorating mental health and descent into bulimia as a result of the pressures of being a woman in the royal family is not important. Either way, as far asSpenceris concerned, the Queen’s only reaction is a silence louder than bombs.
How the Two Movies Invert Each Other
The tone of the Queen and Diana’s one interaction inSpenceris very different from the one held by Elizabeth and her relatives after the Princess’ death inThe Queen. It is more so Prince Philip (James Cromwell) who expresses his disdain towards Diana, even in death, regarding her as a rebellious troublemaker and outcast who caused the royal family nothing but grief and media frenzy. Little do they realize, however, that their silence in the wake of Diana’s tragic death—which was essentially at the hands of paparazzi—will be a media frenzy all of its own.
The typical definition of two things inverting each other is that when one is low, the other is high, and vice versa. In the case ofSpencerandThe Queen, both films are an inversion of themselves in the sense that when Diana is low inSpencer, the Queen is high: during the holidays at Sandringham, Elizabeth is in her element. She’s in control and can bend the behavior of any who dare to act out with a single glance. Whereas inThe Queen, even though she has tragically died, Diana is high: in some views, she has moved on to a better place while also inadvertently inflicting the social change on British royal policy that she so desperately needed when she was alive. It’s Elizabeth who is low during the film named after her: facing increasingly high amounts of public disapproval and ridicule over the royal family’s silence at Diana’s passing, she finally starts to realize just how much power Diana held within her nation’s people.
The Truth Remains Ambiguous
In many ways,The Queenis in fact about Elizabeth and how she grapples in a world with ever-changing social norms very different from the ones instilled in her as a young woman taking the crown. But what no one in the film wants to admit is that Diana, for better and for worse, represented these very social changes in the face of the royal family. Yet again, their silence would perhaps not have spoken so many words if they had been more vocal in the wake of Diana’s very public battle for individuality and tolerance. And while Elizabeth’s true feelings towards Diana remain ever ambiguous inThe Queen, it would surprise no one that thousands upon thousands (maybe even millions) in the UK now championing Diana as the Queen of people’s hearts shook her to her very core.
For the Queen’s presence inSpencerto have silently spoken, “Behave in the way that is expected of you,” it would be Diana’s death inThe Queenthat would shatter that glass ceiling. Regardless, it was the public’s ardent and fierce loyalty to the late Princess that spoke volumes for the royal family, forcing them to break their silence about a woman that, it seems fair to assume, none of them had a lot of respect for. Since Queen Elizabeth II’s passing last month, much attention has been paid on social media to the ways in which the strict social norms she upheld suppressed Diana and, in many ways, ruined her life. While we may never know for sure what really happened one way or another,SpencerandThe Queenoffer different insights into the relationship between two of the world’s most famous women.
