Anne Hathaway has commented for the first time on 90-year-old Julie Andrews’s decision to turn down the third installment of Disney’s iconic franchise, The Princess Diaries. The actress shared her emotions in a conversation with Entertainment Weekly reporters at the D23 fan festival in Anaheim.
Hathaway admitted that she will especially miss Andrews’ signature sense of humor on set. The actress who plays Mia Thermopolis called her colleague “a magical conduit of love” who makes everyone feel safe:
Julie is incredibly warm, sincere, and very funny. She brings magic wherever she goes. Who wouldn’t want to be around someone like that?
As a reminder, in August 2026, Julie Andrews officially confirmed that she was ending her career in feature films and would not return to the role of Queen Clarisse Renaldi. According to the actress, producers had been persistently inviting her to the project throughout the past year, but she decided to refuse due to her advanced age. Andrews also noted that the third part should focus on the story of a grown-up Mia.
The film “The Princess Diaries 3” is currently in active development. Adele Lim will direct the film. The script has been significantly reworked: the previous ideas have been completely rewritten for the sake of a “plot breakthrough.” At the center of the story will be Mia Thermopolis, now the rightful queen of Genovia. The exact start date of filming and the release date have not yet been announced.
Anne Hathaway was awarded the honorary status of “Disney Legend” at the D23 ceremony. From the stage, the actress thanked Julie Andrews for the lessons of kindness, patience and hard work that she received at the age of 17 on the set of the first part of the film.
