'Princess Diaries 3' Gets Royal Go-Ahead At Disney

As Queen Clarisse Renaldi (Julie Andrews) once said, “It’s not appropriate for royalty to jingle.” But fans of The Princess Diaries films are making a ton of noise as news of a third installment hit the internet.

That’s right: Princess Diaries 3 is reportedly in the works at Disney nearly 20 years after The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement was released, according to The Hollywood Reporter. It’s set to be a continuation of the Anne Hathaway-led franchise rather than a reboot, but Hathaway herself is not yet confirmed to be joining the threequel. She has, however, publicly supported the idea of another Mia Thermopolis tale for years.

And at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2023, Hathaway renewed hope she’d return, telling People that the excitement around Princess Diaries 3 is “thrilling.” Although she didn’t share further details, the actor did mention that the nearly two-decade wait has been brutal for all parties involved.

"We feel the exact same, and I know it's probably very frustrating," Hathaway said. "It's a process that requires patience, and so everybody should consider themselves a part of the movie business now, because this is how long it actually takes to make things."

The good news: Reacher and Quantum Leap scribe Aadrita Mukerji is penning the script with franchise veteran Debra Martin Chase returning to produce. They will hopefully continue the story of the goofy and lovable Mia Thermopolis, who learns she is heir to the throne of the European kingdom of Genovia. Based on the Meg Cabot novel, the original film was a box office hit and pop culture sensation, earning $165.3 million globally. Its 2004 sequel brought in $134.7 million globally.

As recently as 2019, Hathaway, 40, confirmed that a script for a third movie existed.

"There is a script for the third movie," she said on an episode of Watch What Happens Live. "There is a script. I want to do it, Julie [Andrews] wants to do it, Debra Martin Chase, our producer, wants to do it. We all really want it to happen."

Hathaway said that the cast would only cement their appearance in the movie if the story was absolutely perfect. “...Because we love it just as much as you guys love it," Hathaway explained. "It's as important to us as it is to you, and we don't want to deliver anything until it's ready. But we're working on it."

Mandy Moore, 38, who played rival Lana in the first movie, said she would return as did Chris Pine, 42, who played love interest Nicholas in the sequel. (His one caveat is it has to film in his hometown of Los Angeles.)

The only major holdout appears to be Andrews, 87, who feels the time to make another film has passed after director Garry Marshall died in 2016.

"I think it would be too late to do it now," she told THR in June. "There was talk of a sequel many, many years ago. But I don't think it ever came to pass. And Garry then did leave us. [For] especially me, it's too far down the line now to go back to it. It's a lovely thought, but I don't think it would probably be possible."

Please Dame Julie Andrews, this is “bigger than orthodontia.”