A new documentary examining the life of Princess Diana 25 years after her tragic death is now available on Sky Documentaries and HBO after debuting earlier in 2022 at the Sundance Film Festival.

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HBO unveiled the trailer ahead of its upcoming release, revealing that the film offers "an intimate and immersive look" into the life of the Princess of Wales through unseen footage, archived news clips and photographs.

Directed by Tell Me Who I Am's Ed Perkins, the documentary focuses on Diana's life and involvement in the royal family, while also exploring the media and public’s obsession with the monarchy.

Perkins spoke to RadioTimes.com about the project and how it offers a fresh perspective on the subject matter.

"I think Diana's story is probably one of the most told and retold stories in the last few decades," he said. "And there [have] been endless documentaries and drama films and podcasts and books out there.

"We felt it was really important to only make another documentary if we thought we had something new to say or a new perspective to offer up," he said.

"My sense was that a lot of the documentaries that have been made about Diana were consciously kind of interior – they were trying to get inside Diana's head, often successfully, but they're trying to kind of work out how she was feeling, trying to understand her psyche or what made her tick or what was motivating certain decisions."

He added that he felt the more interesting thing about Diana's story was not what it says about her, but what it reveals about the public.

"The film is about Diana, but actually what I'm interested in is exploring us and our reaction to the story and I want the film to ask some complex but important questions about, yes, our relationship to Diana, but actually more broadly our relationship to monarchy, and our relationship to celebrity and celebrity culture, which obviously continues to evolve today.

Perkins added the documentary's ultimate question was: "What was our role in this story? What was our complicity, for want of a better word, in this tragic tale?"

So, without further ado, here's everything you need to know about watch the HBO and Sky Documentaries film The Princess in the UK.

Diana documentary release date

Diana, Princess of Wales. HBO

The documentary about Diana is now available to watch on HBO and Sky, having arrived on 14th August 2022.

How to watch Diana documentary in the UK

Diana airs on HBO in the US, while UK viewers are now able to watch the film on Sky Documentaries.

What is the Diana documentary about?

Directed by Tell Me Who I Am's Ed Perkins, the documentary delves into the life of Princess Diana and her eventual role in the royal family, while also exploring the media and public’s obsession with the monarchy.

"Though we are telling a story which has been told and re-told many times, my aim is to reframe it for a modern audience and make it feel as fresh and relevant as it ever has," Perkins said. "The idea of taking an archive-only approach will allow us to immerse audiences in the narrative as if it were being told in the present.

"I want to bring this account of her life to audiences in a more emotional and unmediated way than has been done before and, rather than re-analysing it or offering another retrospective commentary, I want to invite audiences to bring their own memories and reflections and allow them to see and experience it afresh."

Is there a trailer for the Diana documentary?

Yes, there is.

A speaker says in the footage: "When you put a modern person in an ancient institution…they will be destroyed," before another voiceover says: "The monarchy is in danger of too much publicity."

A final speaker adds: "At what point do the British people say ‘I don’t want to hear anymore?’"

You can watch it below:

The Diana documentary is available to watch on Sky Documentaries now. Check out what else is on with our TV Guide or visit our Documentaries hub.

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Authors

Lauren Morris
Lauren MorrisEntertainment and Factual Writer
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