But despite being grateful to be cast in the iconic role, the 24-year-old has now admitted she would now feel awkward confronting Diana’s children, Princes William and Harry.
Speaking to British GQ, Emma said she is curious to hear what the royal brothers thought of her performance, but admitted she probably wouldn’t have the courage to meet them.
“I’d be interested to know what [William and Harry] think… but if I ever saw them at a party, I’d probably leave!” Emma confessed.
“I’m not going to say it doesn’t matter, because that would be ignorant. If someone made a programme about my grandma, who died last year, that would be difficult for me to watch.”
Emma, who plays the “People’s Princess” between the ages of 16 and 28, recently admitted the concept of the royal family watching her portrayal seemed strange.
“I would be lying if I said that it isn’t completely daunting,” Emma confessed. “But I think if they switch on and press play on Netflix, then they know what they are getting themselves into.
“I do hope there is a part of them that wants to see it and they don’t do it because they are unhappy about it.
“But this is fiction, we are playing versions in a version of events, so I hope they don’t take anything too personally,” she added.
In terms of how she prepared for the role, Emma also admitted she didn’t have any preconceived notions about who she thought The Princess of Wales was.
“Well, there is obviously a lot of stuff about Diana out there, but a lot of it wasn’t really helpful to me in terms of this role and where we go with the character,” Emma said.
“It was through reading the scripts that I realised this is very much our version of Diana and that freed me up to create the character.”