Spencer: Kristen Stewart plays Princess Diana for Pablo Larraín

The Twilight days are long behind us – but the beguiling presence of Kristen Stewart still endures. For her next trick, she's taking on a national treasure in a different setting: Princess Diana during one pivotal weekend in the 90s.

Stewart might seem an unlikely choice, but there's plenty that resonates. Both the actress and Diana were violently scrutinised by the media when they were first put under the spotlight, and there is a sensitivity and impenetrability that still fascinates the world.

Spencer will be directed by Pablo Larraín, the Chilean filmmaker who proved his skill for telling the stories of women in politics and power with Jackie. On his motivation to tell this story, the filmmaker explained: 'We all grew up, at least I did in my generation, reading and understanding what a fairy tale is. Usually, the prince comes and finds the princess, invites her to become his wife and eventually she becomes queen. That is the fairy tale.

'When someone decides not to be the queen, and says, "I’d rather go and be myself", it’s a big big decision, a fairy tale upside down. I’ve always been very surprised by that and thought it must have been very hard to do. That is the heart of the movie.'

Photo: Premier

His film follows Diana during a Christmas holiday at the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, making her decision to finally leave Prince Charles. Larraín continued, 'How and why do you decide to do that? It’s a great universal story that can reach millions and millions of people, and that’s what we want to do. We want to make a movie that goes wide, connects with a worldwide audience that is interested in such a fascinating life.'

Spencer is in its final stages of principal photography, the shoot moving to the UK after filming in Germany. The film is hoping to launch in the autumn.

The screenplay is written by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, and also stars Timothy Spall and Sally Hawkins in unspecified roles. This comes at a strange time, considering the awkward presence of The Crown on Netflix. In that series, Diana was flawlessly portrayed by Emma Corrin and is due to be continued by Elizabeth Debicki. Let's hope Larraín has something new in store.