Emma Corrin says the moment she landed the role of Princess Diana on The Crown was like a 'marriage proposal'

Emma Corrin has likened being offered to play the role of Princess Diana in The Crown to a marriage proposal.

The star, who made her acting debut in season four of The Crown, revealed to People how she actually first appeared on set during filming of season three before she was offered the part. 

Director Ben Caron and producer Suzanne Mackie wanted Emma to do a chemistry read with Josh O'Connor, who played Prince Charles in series three and four of the hit Netflix show.

Emma recalled the moment she was offered the part, "I remember we did the scene a couple of times and then Ben turned to Suzanne and was like, 'Can I do it now?' And he sort of got down and was like, 'Will you be Diana?' It felt kind of like a marriage proposal.'

Emma revealed how she intricately studied Princess Diana in preparation for the part, and it took more than simply reading about the late royal.

She said it wasn't until she got to work with the choreographer Polly Bennett when she started figuring out the real emotions of Diana.

"To start with there was a lot of reading, and watching and that kind of thing," she said. "But I actually found that I sort of reached a bit of a brick wall with it."

Last month, it was revealed Emma had been nominated for an Emmy for her performance.

Emma also revealed that some of Diana's friends reached out to her to say that she had done such a good job with her portrayal.

She said: 'I had heard from them, and it was really wonderful to sort of hear how much it had meant to them.'

This comes after The Crown bosses released the first images of Dominic West and Elizabeth Debicki as Prince Charles and Princess Diana for series five of the programme. 

It was first reported in October that the actor would play the heir to the throne, yet Netflix's announcement is the first confirmation of the news.

A TV insider said, "Show bosses looked at several stars for the sought-after role, but he was by far their preferred actor. Now both parties are hammering out a deal."

Meanwhile, it was announced last year that Elizabeth would take over from Emma Corrin and play Diana for the fifth and sixth series, which will cover Diana's death in 1997.

Elizabeth said of her casting last year, "Princess Diana's spirit, her words and her actions live in the hearts of so many. It is my privilege and honour to be joining this masterful series, which has had me absolutely hooked from episode one."