Princess Diaries 3 is moving ahead, but slowly — and Anne Hathaway says that is deliberate. Taking the stage at D23’s Disney Entertainment Showcase in Anaheim on Friday, Hathaway thanked fans for their patience and said Disney is “working so hard to get The Princess Diaries 3 right.”
It has been 22 years since The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement reached cinemas. The D23 crowd greeted Hathaway the way Princess Diaries audiences always have, reciting her “Shut up!” line back at her; she told them she never tires of it.
Why is Princess Diaries 3 taking so long?
The script had to restart. In July, Hathaway told Andy Cohen on SiriusXM’s Radio Andy that the team had a “story breakthrough” — which meant starting over:
“The script that we were working on — we kind of had to start over with this new direction, which is not the update I think anybody wants, but we all feel really good that this is gonna be the one.”
Anne Hathaway, on SiriusXM’s Radio Andy
She also pointed to a more immediate reason for the timeline: she is expecting her third child, and “making baby No. 3” has “sort of taken the place of knowing exactly when I can make Princess Diaries 3,” she said.
Who is making Princess Diaries 3?
Adele Lim, whose credits include Crazy Rich Asians and Joy Ride, is attached to direct, per The Hollywood Reporter. The studio first put a script in development in 2022, and Hathaway confirmed her return as Queen Mia Thermopolis in 2024. Author Meg Cabot read an early script earlier this summer and approved: “I read a script, and it was amazing,” she said. “I told them not to send anymore, because I love it so much.”
Will Julie Andrews be in Princess Diaries 3?
Queen Clarisse will not be there. Andrews told The Hollywood Reporter this week that she is “really past all that now”: “I’m not completely retired, but it’s a different kind of work that I do these days — books, and a lot of recording of podcasts and voiceovers. But truly, I don’t think I should be a part of it.” How the film handles her absence is unconfirmed.
There is still no release date, and no production start has been confirmed. IGN has the full account of Hathaway’s D23 appearance.
tbreak has been following the film since Disney confirmed it in development — see Princess Diaries 3 confirmed in development by Anne Hathaway. For everything else from the weekend, our D23 2026 announcements roundup has you covered.
Is there a Princess Diaries 3 release date?
No. Disney has not dated the film and no production start has been confirmed. Hathaway’s D23 appearance confirmed the project is still in active development.
Is Meg Cabot involved in Princess Diaries 3?
The author of the original novels has read an early script and called it ‘amazing’. She has also hinted that the last script she read included ‘book things’ from the novels.
Will Julie Andrews return for Princess Diaries 3?
No. Andrews told The Hollywood Reporter this week that she is ‘really past all that now’ and does not think she should be part of the film.
