Kevin Costner had an ‘ugly’ feud with the royal family after Princess Diana’s death

Kevin Costner was at odds with the British royal family in the 1990s.

During his interview on “The Howard Stern Show” on Tuesday, the Oscar winner, 69, confirmed that a sequel to his hit 1992 film “The Bodyguard” with Whitney Houston was in the works with Princess Diana as his planned co-star.

However, Diana’s death in summer 1997 caused the project to be canceled — and Costner subsequently faced the wrath of the royals, who didn’t believe that the princess was willing to do a Hollywood movie.

Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth
Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth.Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images
“When Diana passed, about a year later it had leaked out that I was prepping ‘Bodyguard 2’ with her. And what happened was, the royal family kind of turned on me a little bit,” he recalled.

“Like, ‘No, that’s not true.’ And it got actually kind of ugly,” Costner continued. “And I let it go for a while. It just got uglier and uglier.”

Kevin Costner at the New York Yankees game
Kevin Costner had plans for another “Bodyguard” film leading up to Diana’s death.Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

Kevin Costner in "The Bodyguard"
Kevin Costner in “The Bodyguard.”©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection
The “Yellowstone” star said that he ended up reaching out to Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, who initially connected Costner with Diana, and asked for her help.

“Finally I called up Sarah, and said, ‘Sarah, you need to tell me who is leading the charge there on this thing. She goes, ‘No, no, no, Kev, you don’t want to talk to them.’ I said, ‘Yes I do.’ I called them up and I said, ‘I’m telling you something, you need to stop because it is true. And if you don’t stop, I’m gonna start. Because it was.’”

The Post has reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment.

Princess Diana in London in April 1993
Princess Diana in London in April 1993.Getty Images
At the time that Costner was trying to make “The Bodyguard 2,” Diana was separated from her former husband Prince Charles (now King Charles) and was on the outs with the royal family ruled by the now-late Queen Elizabeth II.

Costner explained how he got Diana to agree to do the film.

“What had happened was, I started talking to her through Sarah, and I said, ‘Look, I’m gonna do ‘Bodyguard 2′ and I think I can build this around you. Would you be interested?’ ” he recalled. “And she goes, ‘Yes. My life’s about to change.’ I didn’t really go into depth with it, but I thought I understood what she was saying.”

Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston in "The Bodyguard"
Kevin Costner and the late Whitney Houston in “The Bodyguard.”©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection
He added, “She was very sweet and we talked. The second time we talked she said, ‘Is there going to be a kissing scene?’ I said, ‘Do you want there to be one?’ She said, ‘Yeah,’ and I said, ‘Then we’ll do that.’ I wasn’t going to make the full romance about her. But there was going to be a moment that we did. And she was so sweet about this.”

Diana died in a car crash in Paris in August 1997 at the age of 36, and Costner decided not to move forward with “The Bodyguard” sequel. “I could not replace Princess Di,” he said.

Princess Diana in March 1993
Princess Diana in March 1993, roughly four years before her death.Getty Images
Costner also revealed that years after Diana’s passing, he heard from her eldest son Prince William, who wanted to meet with the actor in Scotland.

“We meet in a room. There’s nobody in the room. I sat across from him and he looked at me and he said, ‘My mom fancied you,” he recalled. “It was the sweetest, gentlest thing. He believed the story, and believe it or not after the talk with the royal family, about two years later the butler came out and said, ‘Yeah, that was the true what Kevin was saying, that she [Diana] was gonna do it.’”

Princess Diana with her sons in March 1993
Princess Diana with her sons in March 1993.Getty ImagesCostner first spoke about the plans for “The Bodyguard” in 2012, explaining that the plot was going to explore Diana’s complicated relationship with the paparazzi. He said at the time that a script for the film arrived on his desk the day before Diana’s death.

Ironically, Diana died trying to flee paparazzi, who were chasing her through the streets of Paris that night.

Related Posts

The quaint Long Island hamlet of Sayville, with its tree-lined streets and close-knit community, has long been a haven for families seeking the American dream. But in…

“HE’S HOME – AND THE BABY’S ALREADY A STAR!” – Purple Hearts Season 2 Drops Its Most Heart-Shattering Opening Scene Yet: Cassie Cradling Their Newborn at the Door as Luke Finally Walks Through.

Netflix just detonated an emotional nuke on romance fans everywhere, and if you thought the original Purple Hearts had you reaching for the tissues, buckle up: Season…

Prix de Lausanne Ballet Dreams Crushed: Emily Finn Murdered by Ex-Boyfriend Weeks Before Her Biggest Stage 🏆💔

On a rain-slicked October evening in 2025, the Juilliard School’s rehearsal studios still glowed with the memory of Emily Finn’s last arabesque. The 21-year-old senior had been…

Jennifer Aniston’s Hysterical Confession on Colbert Leaves Everyone Sobbing With Laughter When She Realizes She and Stephen Were the Exact Same Disaster Waiters.

The Ed Sullivan Theater lost it last night when Jennifer Aniston, 56 and somehow more radiant than ever, dropped a truth bomb so relatable it broke the…

“WE’VE GOT CHAMPAGNE – WHILE SUPPLIES LAST!” – Stephen Colbert’s Final Late Show Season Kicks Off With John Oliver, a Tear-Jerking Toast, and a Housewives Obsession That Had Everyone Questioning Their Streaming Queues.

The Ed Sullivan Theater has hosted legends from The Beatles to Bruce Springsteen, but on September 3, 2025, it became the unlikely epicenter of late-night television’s bittersweet…

“I’M OBSESSED” – Coleen Nolan’s Jaw-Dropping Announcement of Her Fourth Grandbaby’s Wildly Unique Name Has Celebs and Fans Losing Their Minds in a Flood of Tears and Heart Emojis.

In a world that often feels like it’s spinning too fast, Coleen Nolan just hit the pause button with the kind of family news that makes even…