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Emma Corrin thanks Princess Diana in Golden Globes speech

The 25-year-old British actor thanked the late Princess of Wales for teaching her "compassion and empathy beyond any measure."
/ Source: TODAY

Emma Corrin made sure to pay homage to the person responsible for the biggest role of her young career when Corrin took home her first Golden Globe award on Sunday night.

The 25-year-old British actor thanked Princess Diana while accepting the Golden Globe for best actress in a TV series, drama, for her role as a young Diana on season four of the Netflix hit "The Crown."

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"And most of all, thank you so much to Diana," she said in her speech. "You have taught me compassion and empathy beyond any measure that I could ever imagine, and on behalf of everyone who remembers you so fondly and passionately in our hearts, thank you."

Her win was part of a banner night for "The Crown," which won the best television drama series award, while Corrin's castmates Josh O'Connor (Prince Charles) and Gillian Anderson (Margaret Thatcher) took home awards as well.

"Thanks to my Prince Charming, Josh, I could not have done this without you," Corrin said in her speech. "Thank you for making every single day by my side a complete joy."

Corrin's victory also provoked one of the most heartwarming reactions of the night, as her castmate Olivia Colman, who stars as Queen Elizabeth II, got up and did a little dance in support of Corrin despite losing to her in the best actress category.

Corrin took on the daunting task of portraying a young Diana in the days of her courtship and marriage to Prince Charles in the early 1980s. It's the first major role of her burgeoning career, and she nailed Diana's mannerisms and shy personality in addition to her uncanny physical resemblance to the princess, who died in a car crash in 1997.

She spoke on TODAY last November about how she approached the role, which she wasn't initially in the running for until she helped read lines as a stand-in during auditions.

“I have no living memory of her, so it’s always kind of bittersweet for me to talk to people who were close to her,” Corrin said. “But I remember (Diana's former private secretary) just saying how happy she was, how she had a very natural inclination toward happiness, and if you knew her well, you could always make her laugh in an instant, which was so nice.”