Elizabeth Debicki Says Playing Princess Diana In ‘The Crown’ Has Been A “Gift” As She Becomes First Australian To Win In Emmy Category

Elizbeth Debicki topped a royal run for The Crown with her win in the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama series category and became the first Australian actress to do so in the process.

Debicki, who played Diana, Princess of Wales, in the final two seasons of Netflix’s drama series, won at the second time of calling, having been beaten last year by Jennifer Coolidge for her turn as Tanya in The White Lotus.

This year, she beat her co-star Lesley Manville, who played Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, as well as The Morning Show quadruplet of Nicole Beharie, Greta Lee, Karen Pittman and Holland Taylor as well as The Gilded Age’s Christine Baranski.

Debicki said that she didn’t write a speech because she’s “really superstitious” and was in a “real pickle”.

She thanked creator Peter Morgan. “Thank you for making the show and thank you for trusting me with this,” she said.

“Our cast are so beautiful. It is such a gift to work with you. Gosh, playing this part based on this unparalleled, incredible human being has been my great privilege. It has been a gift. Thank you so very much,” she added.

As the first Australian actress to win in the category, she joins fellow Aussie actors including Murray Bartlett, who won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for The White Lotus in 2022, and Sarah Snook, who won Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series last year for her performance as Shiv Roy in Succession, in recent Emmy wins.

Debicki’s win cements an extraordinary run for The Crown at the Emmys. Going into the night, the show, which has run for six seasons, had won 23 Emmys from 87 nominations.

During the Creative Arts portion of the Emmys, The Crown also picked up wins for Outstanding Production Design For A Narrative Contemporary Program and Outstanding Contemporary Costumes For A Series.

Debicki is the only actor to win for The Crown this season so far despite a number of her colleagues also being nominated. Dominic West, who played Prince Charles, is nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series, Claire Foy, who returned briefly as Queen Elizabeth II, was nominated in Outstanding Guest Actress In A Drama Series, Imelda Staunton, who played Queen Elizabeth II in the final two seasons, is nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series and Jonathan Pryce, who played Prince Philip, was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series.

The show is also nominated for Outstanding Drama Series.