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The Crown’s Emma Corrin says Diana didn’t find warmth within the royal family: ‘She found the exact opposite’

‘She was looking to be embraced in something very warm and very familiar, and she didn’t find that at all,’ says actor

Olivia Petter
Wednesday 25 August 2021 14:48 BST
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(Des Willie/Netflix)
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Emma Corrin has claimed that Princess Diana was looking for “warmth” when she joined the royal family but found the “exact opposite”.

Speaking to W magazine, the actor, who played the late Princess of Wales in the fourth season of The Crown, described Diana as a “warm person who gravitated towards people”.

“There became a clear connection from Diana’s unstable childhood to her looking for something welcoming,” Corrin, who uses she/they pronouns, added.

“We knew she was a very warm person who gravitated towards people.

“She was looking to be embraced in something very warm and very familiar, and she didn’t find that at all; she found the exact opposite with the royal family.”

Corrin went on to say that having had no memory of Diana - they were only a toddler when the Princess was killed in 1997 - that might have helped their performance.

“It was a blank slate,” they added.

The comments come after Corrin opened up about their sexual identity, having changed their preferred pronouns on Instagram to she/they.

“I think visibility is key with these things,” they told ITV News.

“I’ve felt it, because my journey has been a long one and has still got a long way to go. I think that we are so used to defining ourselves, and that’s the way, sadly, society works, within these binaries.”

They added: “It’s taken me a long time to realise that I exist somewhere in between and I’m still not sure where that is yet.”

Speaking to W, Corrin added: “It’s hard when you have a platform, but I want to make everything feel very authentic.

“I think we’ve become much more aware of our positions in our communities and the circles in which we operate.”

You can read the full interview with W magazine, which is accompanied by a photoshoot by acclaimed fashion photographer Tim Walker, here.

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