A unique insight into why Elizabeth Debicki was emulating Princess Diana long before The Crown
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A few months ago, I attended a private cast and crew screening of season five of The Crown. It was the first time we saw the new group of actors playing the royal characters we’ve been watching all our lives.
Queuing up in front of me in the intimate screening room was Elizabeth Debicki, the 32-year-old Australian actress who played the late Princess of Wales.
Next to her and clearly a close friend was Amy Roberts, the show’s costume designer, who was responsible for recreating some of the 20th century’s most iconic fashion moments in this series.
After the screening, we gathered for dinner and I sat next to Debicki. Six feet two inches tall and narrow, with blond hair falling past her shoulders, she wore black trousers and a black jacket. I think she was wearing sneakers.
She looked stylish, classic but cool.
I complimented Debicki on her performance and told her I thought she captured the late Princess perfectly.
“What about the wig?” she asked in her soft Australian accent, which came as a shock to hear her perfectly mimic Diana’s creamy notes for the last hour and a half. “Do you think it was perfect?”
The White Stuff: Diana at a Washington Charity Dinner in 1996, Elizabeth at Cannes in 2013
Royal Blue: Diana’s Yuki Dress at the London Coliseum in 1997 and Elizabeth in Max Mara at a 2019 LA Gala
I replied that I did and she seemed pleased. Obviously, every detail involved in creating her character had to be just right.
But Debicki needn’t have worried. She perfectly captures the essence of Princess Diana on screen, but you only need to look back at the outfits she’s worn to red carpet events over the years to see why, aside from her acting skills, she was a gift for her. the casting agents of the Crown.
Because as these photos show, Debicki’s innate style is astonishingly similar to the understated chic epitomized by Princess Diana.
When Debicki stepped out on the red carpet this week in a black silk crêpe strapless dress from Dior, with a long scarf of the same fabric draped around her neck that runs down her back and adorned with delicate gold bangles, it was a clear reference to the powder. – Catherine Walker blue dress worn by the princess at Cannes in 1987.
But the sartorial agreements don’t stop there. From evening dresses to pantsuits, Debicki has been channeling Diana for years.
Diana in a biased midnight blue Yuki dress that reportedly cost £35,000 in 1997; Debicki in a tight-fitting Max Mara in 2019. Diana in a black and white dress from the Emanuels in Saudi Arabia in 1986; Debicki in a black and white silk dress from Bally in 2016.
There may be more than 20 years between them, but the resemblance is almost ghostly.
There may be more than 20 years between them, but the resemblance is almost ghostly. Pictured: Diana and Debicki in striking red and black, Diana in 1990 and Debicki in 2015
As these photos show, Debicki’s innate style is astonishingly similar to the understated chic epitomized by Princess Diana. Pictured: Princess Diana in Catherine Walker in 1987, Elizabeth Debicki in black Dior this week
Just look at the cream pinstripe suit Diana wore in 1989 and the version Debicki wore in Sydney in 2017. Then there’s the off-the-shoulder Catherine Walker lace dress Diana wore to a Washington party in 1996 and the slimmer skin-tone Alex Perry lace dress worn by Debicki in 2013.
Princess Diana died in 1997, but their affinity for fashion is uncanny, not least because Debicki’s outfits were worn before the idea of her playing the princess was even considered.
Not for these two women foam, fringe, prints or pretty. Much of Diana’s clothing seems a bit clunky compared to the sleeker styles of contemporary designers, but Debicki shows how to admire something from the past and translate it into a modern, relevant version.
Like Diana, Debicki also understands what works for her frame. Both have elegant broad shoulders, long limbs and know which cuts to use to accentuate them.
And let’s not forget their shared body language. It’s not just the clothes that remind us of Diana; there’s that half smile, the lifting of the eyes, the tilting of the head.
Tall, dark… and beautiful: Diana in midnight blue at the Serpentine Gallery in 1993, Elizabeth in Sydney in 2018
Bespoke Taupe: Diana on Holiday in Sardinia in 1997, Elizabeth at Armani’s 2019 Paris Fashion Week Show
Writer and showrunner Peter Morgan met Debicki through her friend Vanessa Kirby, who played the young Princess Margaret in previous series. He says: ‘I knew right away that Elizabeth had to play Diana. If she hadn’t agreed to play the part, I would have had to find another way to tell the story.”
Storytelling through style is another skill the two women share.
The dress that Debicki wore to the premiere this week took two members of the Dior studio 300 hours to make and when she stepped on the red carpet, the fashion house announced that the actress is the new Dior Joaillerie ambassador.
Debicki’s dress can also be seen as a nod to the one worn on that famous evening in 1994 – recreated at The Crown – where Diana showed she understood the power of fashion at a Vanity Fair party at London’s Serpentine Gallery.
Black and white stars: a monochrome dress from the Emanuels for Diana in 1986, Elizabeth in Bally silk in 2016
Princess Diana died in 1997, but their affinity for fashion is uncanny, not least because Debicki’s outfits were worn before the idea of her playing the princess was even considered. Pinstripe perfection: Diana in a cream suit in 1989, Elizabeth in Sydney in 2017
That was the night of her husband’s confession to adultery on national television, but the moment she stepped out of her car in a thigh-length black silk dress by Italian designer Christina Stambolian, she sent the world a clear-cut. message of empowerment. It was forever known as the Revenge Dress.
So will Elizabeth Debicki now be known as the actress who best personified the princess?
Hairstylist Sam McKnight, who was responsible for creating Diana’s iconic hairstyle, thinks so. “Elizabeth really captured the essence of Diana,” he says. “Diana and Elizabeth are both tall and their clothes hang so nicely.”
McKnight also thinks Debicki’s wig was perfect. What bigger seal of approval could she wish for?
Image research: Claire Cisotti