There are a few bittersweet feelings attached to the making of The Princess Diaries 3. On the one hand, the original movie is so iconic that we do need the third, but on the other hand, with Julie Andrews no longer acting on-camera (via InStyle), the movie won’t be the same without her. Still, at D23 on August 14, 2026, Anne Hathaway took to the stage to confirm that the movie is indeed happening.
With the film’s sequel, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, being even better than the first, and The Devil Wears Prada 2 being everything we could’ve hoped for this year, it’s hard not to trust that Hathaway won’t give us something great, given how hard they’re working behind the scenes. She’s noted multiple times now that they want to ensure the best kind of movie that feels right for the fans and characters, so we’re trying to be hopeful.
I’m in the minority in thinking that Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is better than the original, but the fact that Meryl Streep’s Donna Sheridan dies isn’t something that any fan wants to see. The same goes for Julie Andrews’ Queen Clarisse Renaldi. The movie can go on without her and say she’s off on an elaborate holiday or retired somewhere grand with Héctor Elizondo’s Joe, but that would then require that The Princess Diaries 3 not include any major events where her absence would be felt (i.e., a wedding, funeral, big memorial, etc.).
That means that in whatever capacity the third movie happens, we have to protect Andrews’ legacy in the role. It’s everything that we got between the women together that’s made the movies so iconic, and I want to live in a perfect fictional world where they’re together forever, even if they’re temporarily separated by miles at most.
What are your thoughts on The Princess Diaries 3 officially happening? Do you want to see it or not? Let us know in the comments below.
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