How Princess Diana has been portrayed on stage and in film

In what must surely be a first in the world of musical theatre, a new musical about Diana, Princess of Wales is to be shown on a streaming service before it officially opens on stage.

Diana: The Musical will be available on Netflix on 1 October, more than two months before its scheduled Broadway opening on 16 December.

The musical, which follows Diana from a young bride through her marriage to Prince Charles, was in previews when New York's theatres closed last year.

A performance of the show - whose music was written by Bon Jovi keyboard player David Bryan - was captured on camera during the shutdown.

Diana is played by British actress Jeanna de Waal, who has described the musical as "a coming of age story" about a woman "finding her own power".

She is by no means the first performer to have played the princess, whose life and death continue to cast a thrall over the popular imagination.

Netflix would seem an ideal home for Diana: The Musical, given the streaming giant is also the producer of royal drama series The Crown.

The most recent season saw Emma Corrin play the young Diana in episodes charting the early years of her marriage to Britain's future king.

The 25-year-old drew high praise for a Golden Globe-winning performance that saw her roller-skating in Buckingham Palace and singing All I Ask Of You from The Phantom of the Opera.

When The Crown returns for its fifth season, however, her character will be taken on by Australia's Elizabeth Debicki, of Tenet and Widows fame.