Julie Andrews was courted heavily for The Princess Diaries 3, Anne Hathaway says

On the D23 carpet, Anne Hathaway said the team behind The Princess Diaries 3 made a real push to bring back Julie Andrews as Queen Clarisse Renaldi — and not just with a polite invite. Speaking with Entertainment Tonight, Hathaway described a genuine campaign to entice Andrews to return in any capacity.

“We did push really hard to see if she would want to do it, ” Hathaway said.

Hathaway added that everyone respected Andrews’ decision to sit this one out after a lifetime in the business, but the filmmakers weren’t ready to give up easily. They even floated the idea that Andrews could narrate or contribute “anything” if she didn’t want to appear on screen.

So what does the movie look like without Genovia’s original queen? Hathaway is back as Mia Thermopolis — now an older, established monarch — with story details still tightly under wraps. It’s a return more than two decades after the first film ( 2001) and the sequel, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004).

Without Julie Andrews

In past comments about the new chapter, filmmaker Adele Lim has pointed to themes of mentorship, joy, and female empowerment, and author Meg Cabot has said elements from her books have made it into the script. If Andrews won’t be the guiding hand this time, the baton may pass to Queen Mia mentoring the next generation inside the palace walls.

• Confirmed on camera: Hathaway says the team tried “really hard” to get Andrews back.
• Andrews’ status: She declined to return as Queen Clarisse Renaldi.
• Hathaway’s role: Mia Thermopolis returns as an experienced queen.
• Story: Plot specifics are still under wraps; mentorship themes have been discussed.

Hathaway also said she wants the threequel to feel worthy of the memories attached to the franchise — the kind of movie women who discovered Mia at six could now share with their own kids.