The Princess

The HBO Original documentary film The Princess is an intimate an immersive look at the life of Princess Diana, directed by Academy Award nominee Ed Perkins (Black Sheep, Tell Me Who I Am) and produced by Lightbox, Academy Award-winner Simon Chinn (Man on Wire, Searching for Sugar Man) and Emmy-winner Jonathan Chinn (LA92, HBO’s Tina).

The relationship of Diana and Charles, the Prince and Princess of Wales, was tabloid fodder for nearly two decades, the subject of almost daily headlines in the 24-hour news cycle. The Princess draws solely from contemporaneous archival audio and video footage to take audiences back to key events in Diana’s life as they happened, including their seemingly fairy-tale public courtship and wedding, the birth of their two sons, their bitter divorce, and Diana’s tragic and untimely death on August 31, 1997.

Intensely emotional, The Princess is a visceral submersion into Diana’s life in the constant and often intrusive glare of the media spotlight. The film unfolds as if it were in the present, allowing viewers to experience the overwhelming adoration, but also intense scrutiny of Diana’s every move and the constant judgement of her character. Through archival material, the film is also a reflection of society at the time, revealing the public’s own preoccupations, fears, aspirations, and desires. The film debut coincides with the 25th anniversary of Princess Diana’s tragic death. 

HBO Documentary Films  presents The Princess, in association with SKY, produced by Lightbox. Directed by Ed Perkins; produced by Simon Chinn and Jonathan Chinn; editors, Jinx Godfrey and Daniel Lapira; co-producer, Vanessa Tovell. For HBO: coordinating producer, Anna Klein; executive producers, Nancy Abraham and Lisa Heller. The Princess had its world premiere at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival.