Charles Spencer's recollections of his late sister Princess Diana's life in his book Swan Song: Diana, My Sister has ruffled some feathers, with the royal's former chef Darren McGrady describing it as a "moneymaking spiteful book."
Despite publicly sharing his negative opinion, Darren didn't hesitate to agree with the 9th Earl Spencer's verdict of Kristen Stewart's portrayal of Diana in the 2021 movie Spencer.
When asked if any fictional portrayal of Diana has come close to capturing her real essence, Charles told Tina Brown: "I was on a plane, and I saw a movie called Spencer. I thought I’d better look at that. And there was Kristen Stewart, who doesn’t really look like Diana, but my goodness, she caught the spirit. I thought it was an incredible performance," he said, despite describing the movie itself as "terrible."
Darren - who cooked for the late Queen Elizabeth from 1982 to 1993, followed by Princess and her two sons Prince William and Prince Harry from 1993 to 1997 - joked on Instagram: "Never thought I’d ever see myself agreeing with Earl Spencer but he’s right."
The movie also reignited memories of his time working with Diana, which the chef said left him with "goosebumps."
"Not sure Sean Harris (Mission Impossible), who played me, was the best cast but the opening scene when Princess Diana gets out of the car at Sandringham and says 'Hello Darren' still gives me goosebumps!" he wrote.
© GettyKristen Stewart felt pressure portraying Diana
Shortly after filming, Kristen opened up about the immense pressure she felt to portray one of the most recognisable and most adored women in the world.
© GettyDespite Charles and Darren's praise, Kristen admitted she struggled to perfect Diana's accent. "The accent is intimidating as all hell because people know that voice, and it’s so, so distinct and particular," she told InStyle.
© SkyThis pressure manifested itself physically, with the Twilight star telling BBC News she suffered from temporomandibular disorder, which affects the sliding hinge that connects your jawbone to your skull.
"I had TMJ to the point where I was like, completely locked up. I was like, 'Huh, I guess I'm really nervous – I was really tripping out until we started,'" she confessed.
