Julie Andrews Won't Return for Princess Diaries 3: "I'm Really Past All That Now"
Julie Andrews has confirmed she will not reprise her role as Queen Clarisse Renaldi in Princess Diaries 3, telling The Hollywood Reporter that she is "really past all that now" when it comes to on-camera work (The Hollywood Reporter).
Andrews, who is 90, said she prefers not to work "necessarily on camera" these days and feels she should not be part of the third film. She is not fully retired — she writes books, records podcasts, and does voiceover work — but a return to Genovia is off the table. Her decision marks a shift from her earlier stance; as recently as July, People reported that Andrews had previously expressed interest in returning for the sequel (People).
The third Princess Diaries film was announced in 2024, with Anne Hathaway reprising her role as Mia Thermopolis, now Queen of Genovia. Adele Lim, whose directing credits include Crazy Rich Asians and Joy Ride, will direct. Debra Martin Chase, a producer of the original 2001 film, returns to produce, with Naia Cucukov and Melissa Stack serving as executive producers (The Hollywood Reporter).
Production, however, has paused. Hathaway told SiriusXM's Radio Andy that filming is on hold while she is pregnant with her third child. No cast member beyond Hathaway has been confirmed for the project (People).
Andrews spoke warmly about the franchise's future, noting that Hathaway is older now than she was in the second film and saying she is "interested to see" what Hathaway, Princess Diaries author Meg Cabot, and the creative team come up with. She also praised the late Garry Marshall, who directed the original film, calling him "sweet, funny, talented, and considerate" (The Hollywood Reporter).
The original Princess Diaries recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. Cabot, who wrote the novel series the films are based on, has said discussions about a third instalment "never really stopped." She read a script she described as her favourite and backed the project "100 percent," having also revisited the franchise in graphic novel form during development (The Hollywood Reporter; The Hollywood Reporter).
Andrews last commented publicly on the possibility of a third film in 2022, when The Hollywood Reporter noted a sequel was in the works and she called her involvement unlikely. Four years on, that uncertainty has become a definite no — but the queen of Genovia is passing the crown gracefully, and the franchise she helped launch a quarter-century ago is moving forward without her.
