Julie Andrews confirmed she will not appear in Princess Diaries 3 in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter alongside her daughter Emma Walton Hamilton about their new children’s book Shy.
The 90-year-old actress, who starred opposite Anne Hathaway in the original Princess Diaries and its 2004 sequel, told the outlet: “I’m not going to be in it.”
Andrews explained to THR: “I think the absolute truth is that I think I’m really past all that now.”
Andrews continued, “I think the story is slightly different, and I’m not quite sure how they’re dealing with that. But it’s too late for me to do it. I think the story has to continue in Princess Mia. It’s her story. It’s not really mine.”
Andrews noted that “I’m not completely retired, but it’s a different kind of work that I do these days — [writing] books, and I do a lot of recording of podcasts and voiceovers. But truly, I don’t think I should be a part of it.”
The decision came after the creative team pursued her, sources revealed.
“[The film’s creative team] asked me all last year if I would be keen to do it. It was very, very hard to say ‘no,’ but I did because I thought I had a wonderful ride,” Andrews told InStyle.
Andrews also discussed her preference for different kinds of work.
“It’s still lovely to be working on things, but I prefer not doing work necessarily on camera,” she explained. “It isn’t that I’m not enthusiastic for it. It’s just that I really don’t feel I should be part of it now.”
When asked about the original film’s longevity, Andrews expressed appreciation.
“I’ve not really given it thought that way. I mean, I’m thrilled, and it was well-made by dear Garry Marshall, who was the sweetest director you could imagine and funny and talented and considerate. So it was a very enjoyable film to make,” she told THR.
Hathaway, 43, previously expressed hope for Andrews’ involvement in the new film.
“If there’s any way to get Julie Andrews involved, I think we would make it work. We would go to where she was and put a green screen behind her and just make it happen,” Hathaway told Entertainment Tonight in 2022.
The franchise has since moved forward with new creative leadership and script directions.
Anne Hathaway will reprise her role as Mia Thermopolis, Queen of Genovia. For the third installment, Adele Lim will direct the feature, and Debra Martin Chase, one of the producers of the original, returns to produce.
Hathaway provided a recent update on development in July.
“I’m busy making baby number three, and that has sort of taken the place of knowing when exactly I can make Princess Diaries 3,” Hathaway said on SiriusXM’s Radio Andy. She added, “I can say I think we had a story breakthrough. I think we are 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.”
Hathaway shared the news during an appearance on SiriusXM’s Radio Andy.
In the viral moment that launched the franchise in 2001, Andrews played Queen Clarisse Renaldi, the formidable grandmother of a teenage girl who discovers she’s heir to the throne of Genovia.
Hathaway first took on the role as Princess Amelia Mignonette Thermopolis Renaldi in 2001, opposite Julie Andrews as her grandmother, the queen. The sequel, released in 2004, followed both Princess Mia and the queen’s journey to finding love in Genovia, the fictional country they reign over.
The Princess Diaries 2 ended with Mia becoming queen and Julie Andrews’ character getting married, leaving many questions about their futures unanswered.
The previous films were directed by Garry Marshall, who died in 2016.
Author Meg Cabot recently expressed enthusiasm about the project.
Cabot told The Hollywood Reporter: “I’m so excited there is a third movie. I read a script, and it was amazing. I told them not to send anymore, because I love it so much.”
It was announced in 2024 that a third film will see Anne Hathaway reprise her role as Mia Thermopolis, Queen of Genovia.