The end of the 2024 festival season saw the conclusion of an unofficial trilogy from director Pablo Larrain. It started back in 2016 with Jackie, his look at the life of John F Kennedy's widow following the assassination and finished last year with Maria, which documented the final years of world-famous soprano, Maria Callas. In between, came Spencer (2021), a fictional version of one Christmas weekend when the life of Princess Diana reached crisis point. And the much-publicized movie, which has an 83% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, arrived with a regal flourish on Netflix in the US on Saturday, February 8 (it is available on Prime Video to rent in the UK).

All three women were the most famous faces of their day. Jacqueline Kennedy, played in the film by Natalie Portman, was a style icon of the 1960s, while the term "diva" could have been invented for Callas, famed in the 1950s not just for her astonishing voice but her explosive temperament and glamorous lifestyle. Maria marked a return to dramatic roles for Angelina Jolie and the film is also currently on Netflix in the US. Princess Diana was the most photographed woman in the world throughout the 1980s, the Shy Di who, after the fairytale wedding that made her a princess, went on to set fashion trends overnight and changed attitudes with a single handshake. And, for Kristen Stewart who played the title role, it marked the completion of her transition from the teen favorite of Twilight to a serious actor with the weight and talent to immerse herself in any role that came her way.