“Princess Diaries” star Julie Andrews confirmed she will not reprise her role as Queen Clarisse Renaldi in the forthcoming third installment.
“I’m not going to be in it,” the beloved actress, 90, confirmed to Today.com. “I think the story is slightly different. And I’m not quite sure how they’re dealing with that.”
Andrews added that it’s also “too late” for her to do it.
“Princess Diaries” star Julie Andrews (pictured above with co-star Anne Hathaway) confirmed she will not be a part of the forthcoming third movie. ©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection
“I’m not going to be in it,” the actress (seen here in the movie’s sequel) told Today.com. ©Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
“I think the story has to continue in Princess Mia,” she added, referring to Anne Hathaway’s character.
“It’s her story. It’s not really mine.”
Andrews portrayed Hathaway’s onscreen distant grandmother, the queen of Genovia, in the 2001 Disney film. Hathaway played Mia Thermopolis, a teenage girl who learned she was the heir to Genovia’s throne.
“I think the story is slightly different,” said Andrews (pictured above with Hathaway in “The Princess Diaries 2”). ©Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
“And I’m not quite sure how they’re dealing with that,” Andrews continued. (Seen here: Hathaway, Chris Pine and Callum Blue in “The Princess Diaries 2.”) ©Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
The movie follows Renaldi as she attempts to transform Thermopolis into princess material, while the latter teaches her strict grandmother how to have fun and loosen up.
In the 2004 sequel, “The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement,” Thermopolis learns she must marry to inherit the throne, and begins a journey to find a suitor.
Hathaway, 43, confirmed that a third movie was underway via Instagram in 2024, though filming has yet to begin.
“Miracles happen,” she captioned a video announcement at the time. “Back to Genovia … the fairytale continues.”
Andrews (seen here in 2023) said it was “too late” for her to join. Getty Images
In the first two movies, Andrews (seen here in the second installment) portrayed Queen Clarisse Renaldi. ©Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
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The script for the highly anticipated movie is still in the works, though Hathaway recently shared that they “had a story breakthrough” and were “moving in the right direction.”
“The script that we were working on — we kind of had to start over with this new direction, which is not the update I think anybody wants, but we all feel really good that this is gonna be the one,” she told Andy Cohen on his SiriusXM radio show in July.
Ahead of the big news, Andrews was skeptical about a third movie, telling Access Hollywood in 2022, “I think we know that it’s probably not going to be possible.”
The “Sound of Music” star (seen above in 2019) played the role of Queen Clarisse Renaldi. Getty Images
She starred alongside Hathaway as Mia Thermopolis. (Seen here: Larry Miller, Hathaway and Andrews.) ©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection
“It was talked about very shortly after [the second sequel] came out, but it’s now how many years since then? And I am that much older, and Annie the princess, or queen, is so much older. And I am not sure where it would float or run.”
Two years later, the “Sound of Music” star told Today.com, “Sometimes it’s best to leave a good thing alone. I don’t like it when people milk and milk and milk the subject, you know, ‘til it’s dead.”
“I’d be very happy if we did do another one. But I don’t expect to,” she added.
