Who Really Schooled Kristen Stewart On The Royal Family?

On November 5, the newest movie about Princess Diana's life, "Spencer," is set to hit theaters. The film stars Kristen Stewart as the titular Princess of Wales, along with Timothy Spall as Major Alistar Gregory, the equerry charged with keeping track of Diana, and Jack Farthing as Prince Charles, per IMDb. According to The Guardian, "Spencer" is less an accurate retelling of Diana's life, and more a gothic look at the late princess's devolution into madness and the unravelling of her psyche. The film's plot takes place over a three-day stay at the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk for the Christmas holiday and is set in 1991, the year before Diana and Charles officially separated. The movie takes an imagined look at what might have been going on in Diana's mind as she faced the pressures of being the Princess of Wales and definitely delves into the absurd, per The Guardian.

And though Stewart is American, early viewings of the film show that she grasped the nuances of Diana's character quite well. Per The Irish Times, Stewart was able to portray the nuances of Diana, not just mimicking her voice, but understanding her walk and the slight mannerisms that made Diana, Diana. The success of the character portrayal, however, reportedly was not mirrored by Stewart's knowledge of the royal family, which she was severely lacking, according to the Daily Mail. So, just who schooled Stewart on all things royal?

Although "Spencer" is ostensibly about Princess Diana's emotional turmoil right before her separation from Prince Charles, The Guardian also describes it as a sweet look at the relationship the princess had with her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. The two boys — portrayed by Jack Nielen and Freddie Spry, per IMDb — not only play a significant role in the film, but they also helped Kristen Stewart understand the nuances of the royal family, reported the Daily Mail. Stewart said, via the publication, that the two young actors were "so English and had deep, developed relationships with the Royal Family as an entity, and at times knew more than I did."

According to the Daily Mail, Nielen and Spry took it upon themselves to educate Stewart about the history of the royal family and tell her the truth of what actually happened. Stewart indicated she was open to learning about the family from the two young actors and she seemingly appreciated the added depth they gave her about her character and the family Diana had joined. She admitted to the BBC that she didn't know much about the royal family before she started filming, claiming that she didn't grow up following them or their "saga." However, with her increased knowledge of the family, Stewart told the publication that she now feels protective of Diana and wanted "to do her justice."