Naomi Watts as Princess Diana in the new movie, to be released in Australia on October 10.

Sainthood has been virtually bestowed upon Princess Diana. Few public figures perpetually attract the unanimous affection and affirmation she does.

Last month, in the UK, the first film about Diana was unveiled. Set during the two years before her death in 1997, the biopic’s heart is Diana’s mysterious relationship with British surgeon Hasnat Khan. Her subsequent relationship with tycoon Dodi Fayed was to make Khan jealous, Diana suggests.

Starring Australian actress Naomi Watts as the former Princess of Wales, Diana inevitably provoked ‘How dare they?’ and ‘What’s the point?’ flak. While he hasn’t seen Diana, Khan trashed its depiction of their intimacy as, “…all based on hypotheses and gossip.”

British critics responded with puzzlement or venom. The Guardian‘s Peter Bradshaw wrote that Diana Spencer has, “…died another awful death,” due to the film’s soap-opera approach. According to The Telegraph‘s Allison Pearson, Diana is ‘saccharine’ speculation without ‘taste or flavour’.

Such responses hint at the kind of pubic backlash Diana can expect, given how highly regarded the People’s Princess is. Even though she had well-known flaws and failings, Diana’s enduring status is represented by how quickly and seriously her reputation is defended.

Do we do the same with those we actually know and love? Forget distant royals. What about our nearest and dearest? Do we effortlessly uphold famous figures as if superhuman, while bringing down family and friends?

Consider how celebrity worship and everyday slurs are warped extremes of praising and humbling. Strive to realistically build up loved ones – and break down our veneration of modern-day ‘saints’.