The Interesting Way Princess Diana's The Crown Actor Described The Late Royal

Anyone following Netflix's "The Crown" knows of Emma Corrin, the actor who portrays the late Diana, Princess of Wales in the show's fourth season. Although playing the iconic royal was always going to be a heavy andmonumental task, Corrin received much praise for their performance, with Decider declaring that Corrin "doesn't just nail Diana's memorable mannerisms and lyrical vocal tics. She seemingly resurrects Diana from the grave." Corrin was also nominated for numerous awards the following year, including a Primetime Emmy, Screen Actors Guild Award, and even won the Golden Globe for Best Actress. 

Naturally, the actor, who was only an infant when the late princess died, has said they really grew to connect with the real-life character they were portraying. In a 2021 interview with The Guardian, for instance, they said that they "ended up having an overwhelming appreciation for Diana's complexity" as a result of the role. Due to the leap forward in time, Diana will be portrayed by a new actor in the upcoming season, but Corrin's take on the iconic figure remains noteworthy. And in light of the fifth season's imminent release in November, they have recently come up with some interesting words to describe the late princess. 

In an interview with The Sunday Times, Emma Corrin offered an interesting — and rather unique — take on the late princess whom they portrayed. During the interview, Corrin said that, "in many ways, Diana was so queer," in large part because Diana was the "other" within the royal family and was always eager to embrace "outsiders."

Corrin, who identifies as nonbinary and queer, has naturally also expressed their love for the late princess, even thanking her in their 2021 Golden Globe acceptance speech. "You have taught me compassion and empathy beyond any measure that I could ever imagine," Corrin said at the time. 

Of course, as followers of the royal family back in the '80s and '90s will know, the late princess was famous for her kindness and compassion, which may be in part why she even became a gay icon during her lifetime, despite being quite heterosexual. Her natural and famous ability to "embrace outsiders," as Corrin explained, may have been best demonstrated when she literally embraced a young child with AIDS on camera, which quickly precipitated a more compassionate and better understanding of the ailment, including that it was not transmissible by touch.