“The Royal Role That Almost Was: Princess Diana and Kevin Costner”

The Bodyguard II: The Forgotten Sequel That Nearly Starred Princess Diana

Following the blockbuster success of The Bodyguard in 1992, which starred Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston, plans quietly began forming for a sequel. But this time, the spotlight wasn’t aimed at a pop diva — it was directed at royalty. In a surprising twist that sounds more like fiction than fact, Princess Diana was seriously considered for the lead role.

Kevin Costner himself has confirmed that the idea for The Bodyguard II involved casting Diana as a princess who would be protected by his character from stalkers and paparazzi, with a budding romance developing between them. The film was to mirror elements of Diana’s real life, albeit with a Hollywood touch of drama and fantasy.

The connection was made through Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, who introduced Costner to Diana. According to Costner, the princess was intrigued. “She said, ‘My life’s about to change,’” he recalled in a 2012 interview, suggesting she was open to new experiences outside the royal bubble. He also mentioned that during their second conversation, Diana asked, “Is there going to be a kissing scene?” When he turned the question back to her, she playfully responded, “Yeah.” He agreed: “Then we’ll do that.”

Paul Burrell, Diana’s former butler, corroborated parts of this story in his book The Royal Insider. He wrote: “Diana declined an offer to move into the professional sphere of her future daughter-in-law, Meghan, and become an actress. She was approached to appear in The Bodyguard II alongside Kevin Costner.”

Burrell remembered the moment vividly: “I put the call from Mr. Costner through to her in the sitting room and heard fits of giggles with her saying, ‘But I can’t sing! What would I be expected to do? I’m not sure but yes, OK, send it and I promise I will have a look.’”

According to him, Diana was flattered but ultimately declined. “She told me at the end of the call that he had offered her the lead role… She was to play a princess and Kevin would be her bodyguard and save her life. He promised it would be tastefully done and he would look after her. Diana chuckled, ‘He was so charming but he cannot be serious.’ But he was extremely serious, and the script arrived. I’m not sure she ever read it, but she was flattered and politely declined, saying, ‘It is entirely impossible.’”

Despite Diana’s polite refusal, Costner remained invested in the project. However, the idea for the sequel began to unravel — especially after Diana’s tragic death in 1997.

Costner later revealed that following her passing, he faced backlash from members of the Royal Family. “The Royal Family kind of turned on me a little bit. And it got actually kind of ugly,” he said. Eventually, he reached out to Sarah Ferguson for support. “I called her up and said, ‘Sarah, you need to tell me who is leading the charge on this.’ She said, ‘No, Kev, you don’t want to talk to them.’ But I insisted. I told them, ‘It’s true. And if you don’t stop, I’m gonna start — because it was.’”

Years later, Costner found himself in the UK and was contacted by Prince William. The two met privately, and Costner recalled their conversation fondly: “The first line out of his mouth was: ‘You know, my mum kind of fancied you.’” Blushing, Costner replied, “I know.” The two spoke for about half an hour in what Costner described as a “very sweet” encounter. “I have such fond memories of who he was, how I was approached, and what we talked about.”

In the end, The Bodyguard II was never made. “I could not replace Princess Di,” Costner said. Without her, the project lost its heart — and Hollywood lost a moment that could have been one of the most unexpected and iconic crossovers of all time.