Kristen Stewart leaves people speechless with ‘uncanny’ resemblance to Princess Diana in first image from new film

The first photo of Kristen Stewart playing Princess Diana in an upcoming biopic has been released.

Stewart’s casting in Spencer initially left fans divided, as some questioned why an American actress had been chosen to play an English princess, while others scoffed at her acting credentials because of her association with Twilight.

But those who defended the choice might just have gotten it right, because Stewart totally embodies Lady Di in this first sneak peek.

One fan wrote:

“Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana is breathtaking and for a moment I actually thought it was Diana.”

Another admitted she had judged Stewart too soon.

“Wow! When I first heard of Kristen Stewart being cast for this, I was struggling to visualise her as Diana but this is uncanny!”

Spencer, which began filming this month, does not yet have a release date. It is being directed by Pablo Larraín,the filmmaker nominated for an Oscar for Jackie, his 2016 biopic of Jacqueline Kennedy.

What is known so far is that the film will take place over a single weekend in the 1990s: the one in which Lady Diana realised her marriage to Prince Charles was officially over.

Stewart is among three actresses who have recently been cast to play the people’s princess: Emma Corrin and Elizabeth Debicki will play her across successive series of The Crown. Others who have taken on the role before include Naomi Watts and Julie Cox.

People have welcomed Kristen Stewart to the lineup.

But, of course, lots of people are holding off judgement until they see the film.

Sometimes unusual casting choices can turn out surprisingly well, especially in biopics, though. Whoever imagined Rennée Zellweger as Judy Garland, or Taron Egerton as Elton John before they were cast?