The Crown’s Elizabeth Debicki recreates Princess Diana’s iconic photoshoot with Mario Testino, which revamped the late royal’s public image just a month before her death

Just two months before her tragic death, her face appeared on newsstands around the world on the cover of Vanity Fair magazine.

And now, The Crown producers have recreated Mario Testino’s famous 1997 photo shoot with Princess Diana, transforming her image and showing audiences a different side of her.

Actress Elizabeth Debicki, 33, with the help of photographer Charlotte Hadden, recreated the glossy images for the final season of the hit Netflix show, which is released today.

The new photos, which will appear in the series at Diana’s Kensington Palace Apartment, show the actress in a beaded halter neck dress, with her blonde cropped hair straightened and relaxed.

The new photos will appear in the series at Diana’s Kensington Palace Apartment

“We had to try and strike a balance between our own interpretation and making sure it was still recognizable as the iconic Testino shoot with Diana,” Ms Haddon said.

‘I remember the original shoot so well. What always struck me was the simplicity of the shoot, the natural light, a sleek white space with a sofa.

‘Even some of the images are soft/blurred…the focus is on Diana and capturing her natural beauty and authenticity.’

Testino, who did not know Diana well at the time of the shoot, said she told him the photos were Prince William and Harry’s favorite.

“When we edited the photos and sent them to Diana for approval, she told me her sons told her they looked the most like her they had ever seen,” he said in 2005.

‘This was a great compliment, because of course I didn’t know her. I was just trying to grasp something on a whim.”

He said of the shoot: ‘We straightened her hair and did the simplest make-up. I think she thought she looked great.” The shoot was to promote a charity auction in New York of some of her evening dresses, but Testino wanted her to be wearing jeans in “her mind” when the photos were taken.

The sixth and final series of The Crown has sparked controversy over the decision to film scenes in the lead-up to and aftermath of the car crash that killed Diana.

‘It was difficult to recreate. It was hard and very manic, and incredibly invasive. And there was some pressure,” Ms. Debicki said.

Series creator Peter Morgan admitted he’s not “sad” that they’ve reached the end of the show because it’s “time” for it to be over.

Elizabeth channeled Princess Diana’s famous revenge dress at the premiere of The Crown Season Six in LA

Princess Diana debuted The Revenge Dress at a fundraising dinner hosted by Vanity Fair for the Serpentine Gallery on June 29, 1994

“I’m probably not sad that we’ve reached the end. I think it was time,” he said on the first episode of The Crown’s official podcast.

‘I don’t really know [how to feel] anyway, but quite relieved. I mean, positive, relieved.’

Imelda Staunton, 67, who plays the queen, said the final episode was changed after her death from what was originally planned.

“I kind of vaguely knew what it was going to be, and you know, they’re going to change and I think there’s no question that the last episode was changed because of the queen’s death,” she said.

“Well, we had started filming in September and then the Queen died then, when we were, when we were filming that day, I remember, and um, and I came home and I was absolutely inconsolable and all that. ‘

On Sunday, the Australian actress channeled the princess’s famous revenge dress as she joined her fellow castmates at the LA premiere.

Elizabeth selected a little black dress from Bottega Veneta for the glamorous event at the Westwood Regency Village Theatre.

The sleek off-shoulder design comes from the brand’s Spring/Summer 2024 collection and featured a structured bodice and midi length, highlighting the actress’s statuesque frame.

Elizabeth added sheer black tights and pumps, echoing Princess Diana’s ensemble from her 1994 dinner at the Serpentine Gallery in Kensington Gardens.