A royal legacy: 25 years of The Princess Diaries

In 2001, the world was introduced to the princess of Genovia. A quarter of a century later, The Princess Diaries remains a well-loved 2000s Disney classic.

Based on Meg Cabot’s novel of the same title, The Princess Diaries follows Mia Thermopolis (Anne Hathaway), a high school student in San Francisco. This was Hathaway’s breakout role into Hollywood at just 18 years old! Mia is told that her grandmother – played by national treasure Julie Andrews – is Queen Clarisse of Genovia, a small (fictional) European country. This means that Mia herself isn’t just a high school student anymore, she’s a princess. To which she famously responds: “Me?! A- a princess? Shut up!”

25 years since its release, The Princess Diaries continues to be a classic and is amongst the top 300 watched films on Letterboxd.

Apart from being a huge part of my childhood, there are countless memorable scenes that make The Princess Diaries the nostalgic masterpiece it is. Highly popular is Sandra Oh’s delivery of “The Queen is coming… to Grove High School” as principal of Mia’s high school. The scene where Mia eats a large spoonful of green ice cream at a royal dinner and gets a brain freeze has been engrained in my memory since I was little, and Julie Andrews knighting a bus driver to avoid legal action is simply iconic.

As a curly girl myself, I was a little disheartened to see Mia’s puffy curls straightened … all she needed was a bit of curl cream

One Letterboxd article explores the film’s success, with a strong emphasis on “one of the seminal makeover scenes of the century”, where Mia is transformed into a princess. This scene has caused some controversy online in the following 25 years, given that curly-haired Mia has her hair straightened for her ‘makeover’. As a curly girl myself, I was a little disheartened to see Mia’s puffy curls straightened in this scene – all she needed was a bit of curl cream and gel to sort it out. But recently, Hathaway herself revealed to People that it was a practicality during filming, as her hair is naturally straight, it would take more hours in the hair and makeup chair sorting out curly hair each day of filming.

Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004)

In the sequel, we learn that Mia is going to succeed her grandmother and be crowned Queen of Genovia. But to do so, a member of the Genovian parliament Viscount Mabrey declares that according to an old law, Mia must get married first – and she has 30 days to find a husband.

Mia meets a charming suitor at her 21st birthday ball, who turns out to be Nicholas Devereaux (Chris Pine), nephew of Viscount Mabrey, who wants to dethrone Mia and crown Nicholas as king. Mia agrees to marry Andrew, an English duke who seems like a smart choice. But at the same time, an enemies-to-lovers romance brews between Mia and Nicholas.

Combine this tension with iconic scenes like mattress surfing down the palace stairs, and you can understand why I usually end up rewatching this sequel instead of The Princess Diaries itself.

The Princess Diaries 3, TBC

And it’s good news for diehard fans – Anne Hathaway has recently confirmed that a third Princess Diaries film is in the works, explaining to Entertainment: “we’re constantly working on it”. Meg Cabot, author of The Princess Diaries novels, has read the script for the third film, and told The Hollywood Reporter: “it’s a really fun idea, and I’m 100 percent behind it”. It has also been shared that Adele Lim, director of 2018 romcom Crazy Rich Asians, will be directing the new instalment.

“A Queen is never late, everyone else is simply early”

Julie Andrews as Queen Clarisse

However, Julie Andrews, Queen Clarisse herself, has recently confirmed that she will not be returning for the third film. She told Today: “it’s too late for me to do it… the story has to continue in Princess Mia. It’s her story. It’s not really mine.” Perfectly echoing her character Queen Clarisse’s line, “A Queen is never late, everyone else is simply early,” Andrews has made it clear she is handing over the mantle to Hathaway. We are simply too early and eager for a third film, but Queen Mia will return to screens in the near future.

But we still have Andrews’ documentary to look forward to, confirmed by Disney+ to be released in 2027. This will follow her cinematic journey from classics Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music to The Princess Diaries.

What’s next for Genovia under the rule of Queen Mia? Could this film finally explore the relationship between Mia and Nicholas?

As The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement left us with Mia’s official coronation – taking to the throne without a husband, we’re left wondering what’s next for Genovia under the rule of Queen Mia? Could this film finally explore the relationship between Mia and Nicholas?

Hathaway explored the plot of the third film with People magazine, explaining “we had to start over… not the update I think anybody wants”, potentially hinting at Queen Clarisse’s character not being involved in the storyline. It will be a true tragedy not having Julie Andrews returning to the nostalgic Princess Diaries series, but we will have to wait and see what The Princess Diaries 3 brings to audiences.