Kristen Stewart says she feels ‘protective’ of Princess Diana ahead of playing her

Stewart will play the late Princess in upcoming film Spencer

Kristen Stewart has said she feels “protective” over Princess Diana ahead of playing her in the upcoming film, Spencer.

Speaking to Jimmy Kimmel on his namesake chat show, the actor explained that despite the fact she was just seven years old when the Princess of Wales died, she feels connected to her.

"I was really young, [I] didn't know what was going on," she told the TV host before adding that it's hard “not to feel protective of her. She was so young”.

Stewart went on to address the multiple portrayals of Diana in popular culture over the years, the latest being Emma Corrin in the fourth season of The Crown.

"I mean, everyone's perspective is different," she said.

Not much is known about Spencer, other than the fact that it is set around three days od Diana’s life in the 1990’s.

"My movie takes place over three days, and it's this really poetic internal imagining of what that might have felt like rather than giving new information," said Stewart.

"We kind of don't have a mark to hit. We just also love her."

The actor’s comments come after she spoke about the pressures of getting Diana’s accent right.

 Talking to InStyle, Stewart said: "The accent is intimidating as hell because people know that voice, and it's so, so distinct and particular," the actress noted. "I'm working on it now and already have my dialect coach."

Stewart went on to explain why she is so committed to the role.

"It's one of the saddest stories to exist ever, and I don't want to just play Diana—I want to know her implicitly," she said.