The film, directed by Pablo Larrain, shows a few days in 1991 that Princess Diana lived. The script of the drama was written by Stephen Knight, and the main character was played by Kristen Stewart. The audience saw a three-day vacation of the royal family – Christmas Eve, Christmas and Boxing Day.
The filmmakers do not confirm its historical accuracy. Some events were invented by the screenwriter, although they could have happened on the Christmas holidays at Sandringham Palace, so the film cannot be called a typical biopic. It deals with the final destruction of the marriage of Prince Charles and Diana Spencer.
What is Spencer: The Secret of Princess Diana about?
At the end of 1991, members of the British royal family arrived in Norfolk, where Sandringham Palace is located, to prepare for the celebration of Christmas. At this time, Diana’s personal life was a difficult period. Prince Charles became increasingly distant from her. The heir to the throne loved Camilla Parker Bowles.
Diana met with her sons William and Harry. The royal family ignored the princess, who feels the only support in Sandringham Palace is her only friend, the maid Maggie. She believes that Diana should not be upset and she should begin to fulfill her official duties.
The princess went into the bedroom, where there was a book, the main character of which was Anne Boleyn, subsequently appearing in Diana’s dreams and visions, for example, during Christmas dinner, when the princess eats soup with pearls from a torn necklace given by her husband.
The princess does not want to attend events involving the royal family. She preferred to visit the house where she spent her childhood. Diana remembered a happy youth. The princess decided to commit suicide by jumping down a flight of stairs, but was stopped by the ghost of Anne Boleyn. At that moment, after breaking the necklace, the pearl rolled down the stairs.
The princess was looking forward to Boxing Day. She woke up and saw a maid with whom she decided to relax on the beach. Maggie learned from Diana what marital and mental problems torment the princess. The chambermaid confessed that she loved her.
After the beach, Charles met Diana, who learned about the departure of his wife from the palace along with her sons. They headed towards London. The princess noticed a scarecrow in the field, once installed by the young Diana, who decided to finally decorate it with her dress.
The meaning of the movie “Spencer: The Mystery of Princess Diana”
The film explores the inner identity of the protagonist. This is not a traditional biopic detailing chronological events. It can be called the introspection of the princess. Of course, the difficult relationship between Diana and Charles took place in reality. The couple practically did not communicate at Sandringham Palace. The princess at this point was aware of the role of Camilla Parker Bowles in the life of Charles and their romance. Diana also had a lover – British cavalry officer James Hewitt.
The princess is in a state of confrontation with the royal family and her husband, whose marriage has become a heavy burden for her.
In this sensual story, a depressed person is brought to the fore. A simple woman wants warmth and attention, but she is surrounded by cold-blooded, “stone” people, next to whom Diana is mentally and physically ill. The film explores the mental state of a princess who is about to break loose.
The drama shows Diana sobbing and complaining as she feels miserable. Soulless royal luxury is alien to a woman. Her body cannot adapt to the reality around her, so the princess has an eating disorder, she inflicts physical suffering on herself and is ready to commit crazy acts, for example, swallowing pearls similar to those worn by Charles’ mistress. Diana wants to lock herself in the house where she spent her childhood.
The princess has visions in which Anna Boleyn appears to her. In the 16th century, this woman with a wayward character was beheaded. She held the title of Queen of England for only three years. Henry VIII entered into his second marriage with her. Princess Diana is a distant relative of Anne Boleyn, the sixteenth great-grandniece of the king of the XVI century.
Diana and Anna are connected not only by blood relationship, but also by events in their lives. Both were the younger sisters of girls who dated the royals, whose wives they eventually became. Diana was aware of her sister Sarah’s brief relationship with the heir to the British crown in the 70s. Then Charles courted Diana. Anne was also aware of her sister Mary’s love affair with Henry VIII.
The princess fears for her own life. She is afraid that the members of the royal family want to get rid of her, as happened to Anna in her time. Henry VIII had to behead his wife so that another woman would become queen. Boleyn was falsely accused of treason and other crimes. In this sense, Anna is somewhat similar to Diana.
The princess is trying to regain her identity. The drama shows her despair. Diana is disgusted by the royal establishment with its trappings. She wants to run away from Sandringham Palace and stay at Park House, where she spent her childhood. The princess dreams of throwing off the shackles of being a member of the royal family and becoming herself again. Diana’s spirit was broken. Her isolationism with paranoia and bulimia is a reaction to the world of unbearable conventions surrounding the princess, which is alien to Diana.
Explanation of the ending of Spencer: The Mystery of Princess Diana
At the end of the picture, a hunt is shown, during which Diana made herself a target. She does not want the pheasants to become victims of her sons and forbade the children to kill them. The princess put William and Harry into the car and drove away from Sandringham to the sound of music. At that moment, she smiled for the first time in the entire film.
Diana wants a simple life. She intends to treat the children with fast food. Gradually, her true identity is restored. She felt happy for a while, enjoying this momentary feeling. By the actions of the princess, one can judge her inner world.
But the credibility of such a happy ending is questionable. Some critics wrote that the film’s ending should have been different, such as a dead pheasant lying on the ground being run over by a truck carrying delicacies for the royal family. And so the film ends on a positive note, giving the viewer hope for a happy future for Diana, although they know in advance about the tragic ending of the princess’s life. The emotional shock did not leave her almost until the last frames, and the happy ending of the film looks rather out of place here.
The subsequent death of Diana became one of the most talked about news in the world. The author of the article “Squidgygate” spoke about a phone call. Diana called her close friend James Gilbey, whom she told that she was afraid of another pregnancy. The princess complained about the queen, who shows both pity and interest in her, and about her husband, who turned her existence into torture.
The picture of Pablo Larrain cannot be called a realistic film. It does not show the real Princess Diana, but her loss, constraint, isolation and internal agony. The main character of the film can be compared with Anna Karenina. She boarded her last train, accusing the royal family of lies, deceit and sheer evil.
