Dramatic first trailer for Kristen Stewart’s Princess Diana film is a mood

The first trailer for Kristen Stewart’s Princess Diana biopic Spencer is finally here, and it already looks like a serious Oscars contender.

The sumptuous teaser trailer opens at the Queen’s Sandringham Estate, where Diana, Princess of Wales her husband Prince Charles and the rest of the royal family have gathered for the Christmas season.

The minute-long trailer shows Kristen Stewart taking on the role of Diana as her marriage to Prince Charles disintegrates.

Set a choral rendition of Lou Reed’s classic song “Perfect Day”, it sees an anguished-looking Diana battling to keep her inner turmoil under wraps for the festive season.

Kristen Stewart’s Spencer will follow Princess Diana as ‘rumours of affairs’ abound

According to the film’s official synopsis, Spencer – which also stars Sean Harris, Sally Hawkins, Jack Farthing and Timothy Spall – follows Diana and Prince Charles’ relationship as “rumours of affairs and a divorce abound”.

Peace is ordained for the Christmas season. “There’s eating and drinking, shooting and hunting. Diana knows the game. But this year, things will be a whole lot different. Spencer is an impinging of what might have happened during those few fateful days.”

The film is set to debut at the Venice Film Festival on 3 September and it will get a cinema release later in the year.

The trailer was released less than 24 hours after the film’s official poster was unveiled.

Spencer has been the subject of significant hype ever since the project was first announced. The film – helmed by director Pablo Larraín – is already being tipped as a major awards contender.

The director formerly saw huge success with Jackie, starring Natalie Portman. The critically-acclaimed biopic following First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in the days after her husband’s assassination racked up three nominations at the 2017 Academy Awards.

The film comes hot on the heels of Emma Corrin’s award-winning portrayal of Princess Diana in Netflix’s The Crown. The actor has won acclaim – and a Golden Globe – for her take on the Princess of Wales’ life.

Elizabeth Debicki is set to play the princess in the fifth season of the hugely popular series.

Spencer is not the first film to explore the princess’s life. In 2013, the biographical film Diana, starring Naomi Watts in the titular role, was released.

The film was widely panned by critics, with Watts receiving a Razzie Award nomination for her performance.