Julie Andrews Steps Back from Third "Princess Diaries" Installment

Legendary actress, Julie Andrews, has confirmed her absence in the upcoming third installment of the beloved "Princess Diaries" franchise. In an interview with Today.com, the esteemed 90-year-old actress shared her thoughts on the forthcoming film, stating, "I'm not going to be in it." Andrews, who played Queen Clarisse Renaldi in the original 2001 Disney film, expressed reservations about the new direction of the story and acknowledged that it was "too late" for her to reprise her role. Instead, the focus will shift to Anne Hathaway's character, Mia Thermopolis, the teenage heir to Genovia's throne. The movies follow a heartwarming relationship between Andrews' strict queen and Hathaway's quirky Mia, as they each learn from one another. In the 2004 sequel, "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement," Thermopolis embarks on a journey to find a suitable suitor in order to inherit the throne. Hathaway took to Instagram in 2024 to confirm that a third movie was underway, captioning her announcement with "Miracles happen... Back to Genovia... The fairytale continues." While filming has yet to commence, Hathaway recently shared that they've experienced a "story breakthrough" and are now moving in the right direction. Despite Andrews' initial skepticism about a third movie back in 2022, she expressed a mix of enthusiasm and resignation in her latest interview with Today.com, stating, "Sometimes it’s best to leave a good thing alone." Though Andrews would be happy to return for another installment, she added, "I don't expect to." The script for the highly anticipated third movie is still in development, and as Andrews put it, "I'd be very happy if we did do another one. But I don't expect to." Fans of the franchise will undoubtedly be eagerly awaiting further updates on this beloved fairytale.