Did Kristen Stewart Really Receive A Visit From Princess Diana's Ghost?

Kristen Stewart isn't new to talking about her personal experiences with ghosts. The actress who rose to fame thanks to her portrayal of Bella Swan in the movie adaptations of the "Twilight Saga," the supernatural-themed fantasy romance series, has been fielding questions about her belief in ghosts for years. In a 2019 Vanity Fair cover story, writer Durga Chew-Bose referenced the 2016 film "Personal Shopper" in which Stewart played a woman attempting to communicate with the spirit of her recently deceased brother, and asked if Stewart herself believes in ghosts. Stewart replied, "I talk to them," and clarified, "If I'm in a weird, small town, making a movie, and I'm in a strange apartment, I will literally be like, 'No, please, I cannot deal. Anyone else, but it cannot be me.' Who knows what ghosts are, but there is an energy that I'm really sensitive to." 

Ghosts came up once again in a September 7 interview with the Los Angeles Times just prior to the theatrical release of "Spencer," the biopic in which Stewart portrays Princess Diana. The film details a fateful few days in 1991 during which Diana decides to end her unhappy marriage to Prince Charles. The movie reportedly features Princess Diana having an encounter with the ghost of Anne Boleyn, leading writer Glenn Whipp to ask Stewart if she had ever experienced "paranormal encounters." It seems Stewart's habit of asking ghosts to leave her alone may have worked as she laughed and replied, "No."

Kristen Stewart went on to tell the Los Angeles Times that although she hadn't personally had any encounters with ghosts, filming the movie "Spencer" had nevertheless made her feel something akin to haunting: "But I felt some spooky, spiritual feelings making this movie. Even if I was just fantasizing. I felt like there were moments where I kind of got the sign-off." Is it possible that the spirit of Diana had communicated with Stewart, some kind of approval of the portrayal? When asked if she could actually feel Diana with her, Stewart answered, "She felt so alive to me when I was making this movie, even if it's all between the ears and it was just a fantasy of mine."

Stewart's immersive portrayal of Diana seemingly made the real Diana feel nearby and affected the actor mentally and emotionally when the cameras stopped rolling. She said, "Maybe two or three times a week, I would just fully break down about the fact that she had died. I just could not come to terms with it, because I was fighting to keep her alive every single day."  

Stewart's willingness to allow herself to be haunted by Princess Diana, even if only within her imagination rather than through an actual, paranormal haunting, seems to have resulted in an exceptional performance. After the film premiered for critics in September 2021 at the Venice Film Festival, several people predicted that Stewart would garner her first Oscar nomination for the role, as reported by EW.