Andrews is gracefully stepping away from Hollywood on her own terms after an extraordinary seven-decade career. Her representatives frame this as a dignified retirement well-earned by one of cinema's most beloved figures, and the Princess Diaries team has nothing but respect for her decision.
Insiders say the production was dead serious about bringing back the original magic—Andrews opposite Anne Hathaway one more time would have been a massive draw. But sources close to Andrews suggest she'd been hinting to friends that she was ready to fully step away, and this offer gave her a reason to officially close that chapter publicly.
Andrews, now 90 years old, told InStyle magazine: 'I think I'm retired' when asked about the Princess Diaries 3 offer. Disney producers approached her throughout all of last year asking if she'd return as Queen Clarisse opposite Anne Hathaway's Mia Thermopolis for the long-awaited sequel to the 2001 original.
The Princess Diaries franchise will have to find a new way to honor its queen—or move forward without her. Either way, this closes the book on one of Hollywood's most anticipated comebacks.
Julie Andrews is officially done with Hollywood, and she's not even being subtle about it. The 90-year-old screen legend revealed in a new interview with InStyle magazine that she turned down the opportunity to return for The Princess Diaries 3, the long-awaited threequel that would have reunited her with Anne Hathaway opposite. When asked if she'd be reprising her role as Queen Clarisse, Andrews didn't hedge or leave room for interpretation—she simply said, "I think I'm retired." That's not a maybe from someone who's been in the industry since the 1950s.
That's a closing statement. Sources close to the production tell us Disney has been actively pursuing Andrews for over a year, desperately trying to recreate the magic of the original films that grossed over $300 million worldwide combined. The Princess Diaries and its 2004 sequel were cultural touchstones for an entire generation, and bringing back the iconic duo would have been a guaranteed box office win—or at least that's what the studio was banking on.
But Andrews apparently had other plans. The timing is particularly notable because just last year, there were rumblings that The Princess Diaries 3 was finally moving forward with Hathaway confirmed to return. Fans spent years hoping for another installment, and when talks heated up in 2025, everyone assumed Andrews would eventually come around.
She didn't. In her InStyle interview, she made it clear the door is closed—and she's the one who locked it. Anne Hathaway's representatives have remained tight-lipped about how production will handle Queen Clarisse's absence in the threequel, assuming they don't recast or write around the character entirely.
But for now, the focus seems to be on moving forward with what they can control: getting Mia Thermopolis back on screen. Whether that resonates with audiences without Andrews' regal presence remains to be seen. What's undeniable is that we're witnessing the end of an era.
Julie Andrews gave us Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, and yes—Queen Clarisse, who became a grandmother figure for millions of young viewers watching Mia navigate royal life. Her decision to walk away at 90 isn't surprising, but it stings nonetheless. Some crowns, apparently, you get to put down when you're ready. The Princess Diaries 3 is expected to proceed without her.
