Julie Andrews has opened up about why she will not return to The Princess Diaries for its third film. The iconic actor appeared in the first two films as Queen Clarisse Renaldi, Mia’s grandmother and the Queen regent of Genovia.
However, Her Royal Highness will not be making a return alongside Anne Hathaway in the upcoming third film.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Andrews said that she is “really past all that now” and that her work looks very different these days.
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“I think the absolute truth is that I think I’m really past all that now,” The Sound of Music actor said.
“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.”
Andrews went on to say that she prefers not doing work “necessarily on camera”, but that it is “still lovely to be working on things”.
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.”
Andrews is next set to feature in “candid new interviews” for a Disney+ documentary about her life, set for release in 2027.
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Related: Chris Pine addresses potential return for Princess Diaries 3
Despite not putting on her crown for The Princess Diaries 3, she did reveal to THR her thoughts about the upcoming sequel.
“I think it proceeds from the second Princess Diaries. It moves on, but by now Annie too is a little older than she was when she did it. I’m interested to see what Meg [Cabot] and Annie and everybody comes up with,” she said.
Earlier this year, Hathaway explained the lack of updates surrounding the film after it was first announced in 2024.
She told Entertainment Weekly that the project is being worked on, but stressed that a third film “is not greenlit or confirmed yet”, despite director Adele Lim signing on two years ago.
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Rebecca is a freelance journalist who specializes in TV and film. After beginning her career as a digital entertainment journalist for the Express & Star and Shropshire Star, she embarked on a freelance career in 2021 contributing to the likes of Metro UK, The Sun, WhatCulture, Screen Rant, FilmHounds Magazine and more.
Her particular field of interest is horror cinema and she has written for genre publications such as Ghouls Magazine and Moving Pictures Film Club.
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