After 22 years, the wait is finally over: Anne Hathaway personally shares an update on The Princess Diaries 3, Queen Mia is really coming back!

Do you remember the first time Mia Thermopolis put on a crown, transforming from a flustered high school girl into the princess of Genovia? Twenty-two years have passed since The Princess Diaries 2, and the film that grew up alongside countless girls is finally moving toward a third installment. Anne Hathaway has confirmed that she’ll return as Mia and recently shared an update on The Princess Diaries 3 herself at D23, assuring fans who have waited all these years that the team is working hard to get it right. Still, one of the most familiar faces won’t be joining this return to Genovia.

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Anne Hathaway is confirmed to return, and Mia has gone from princess to queen

When The Princess Diaries was released in 2001, Anne Hathaway’s Mia was still a high school girl who had just discovered her royal lineage and even had to relearn how to walk with proper poise. By 2004’s The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, she was preparing to take the throne of Genovia. Now, with the third film in development, Anne Hathaway is confirmed to return, while Adele Lim, the screenwriter of Crazy Rich Asians and director of Joy Ride, will direct. Anne previously shared that The Devil Wears Prada 2 unexpectedly went into production first in 2025, leaving her unable to focus on two sequels at once and delaying progress on The Princess Diaries 3. Still, she has never given up on the project. As for what stage of life Queen Mia will enter in the third film, official story details have yet to be released.

The saddest news: Julie Andrews is confirmed not to return

If Mia is the soul of The Princess Diaries, then Julie Andrews’ Queen Clarisse is likely irreplaceable in every fan’s heart. Julie Andrews, now 90, recently confirmed that she will not appear in The Princess Diaries 3. The film’s team had invited her to return several times, but having gradually stepped away from on-camera work, she feels she has already had a wonderful journey and believes the new story can continue to grow without Clarisse. Speaking of the veteran actress who was with her through the first two films, Anne Hathaway admitted that she will miss Julie Andrews’ sense of humor most, along with her ability to make everyone around her feel warm. This also means the third film will likely truly place Genovia’s story in Mia’s hands.

Will Nicholas return? We’re still waiting on Chris Pine

Another question fans are most eager to know is, of course, whether Nicholas Devereaux, who captured Mia’s heart in The Princess Diaries 2, will return. Chris Pine has publicly said he would be willing to come back, though Disney has yet to officially announce whether he will join the third film. Familiar faces including Mandy Moore and Heather Matarazzo have not been confirmed either. Original author Meg Cabot has shared that she has read different versions of the script and likes the one she read most recently very much. Genovia without Queen Clarisse does feel a little bittersweet. Still, the Mia who once needed her grandmother to teach her how to become a princess is finally about to become the adult in her own story. After 22 years of waiting, perhaps this is what The Princess Diaries 3 really wants to tell us: life has another chapter after a fairy tale’s happily ever after.