Is Julie Andrews Returning as Queen Clarisse in 'Princess Diaries 3'? Here's What We Know

Almost everyone who was alive in the early '00s remembers the classic The Princess Diaries and its subsequent sequel, The Princess Diaries 2. Starring Anne Hathaway and Dame Julie Andrews, the first movie inspired a generation to dream big — and cross their fingers for that secret royal relative.

Now, it seems as though the franchise is continuing, an impressive 20 years after the sequel was released. We can be sure star Anne will be returning, but is Julie in Princess Diaries 3? Here's what we know.

It was confirmed that Princess Diaries 3 is in the works. Films don't always come back to life two decades after the last one, so it's an exciting update for fans who have been waiting and hoping. Rumors of a third film in the franchise have been circulating for years, but it's finally official. Anne will be back to reprise her role as Mia Thermopolis, who finds herself pulled from an ordinary life and elevated to royalty under the guidance of her grandmother, Queen Clarisse of Genovia.

Clarisse, played by Julie, surprises Mia with the jaw-dropping fact that she's actually Genovian royalty, and the awkward Mia must learn to play her role as princess, but with her own personal touch. Unfortunately, it's not clear whether or not legendary actress Julie, of Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, and Bridgerton fame, will return in her role as Clarisse. In a 2022 Access Hollywood interview, Julie said she didn't think the film would happen.

The actor explained, "It was talked about very shortly after [Princess Diaries 2] came out, but it's now how many years since then? And I am that much older and Annie the princess, or queen, is so much older. And I am not sure where it would float or run." But now that we know the film is going to happen, who knows? With any luck, they'll be able to convince Julie to reprise her role and join her co-stars in returning to the Genovian universe.

Anne herself said she was determined to convince Julie to return. In 2022, she told Entertainment Tonight, "I would more than entertain it, I'm pulling for it. If there's any way to get Julie Andrews involved, I think we would make it work. We would go to where she was and put a green screen behind her and just make it happen." So fans can rest assured that Anne is working behind the scenes to get their favorite royal grandma back on the big screen.

Speaking of her co-stars, there's another question on everyone's mind: Will Mia appear with Michael or Nicholas? In the first film, Mia had her toe-popping happy ending with her best friend Lily's brother, Michael.

Yet by the second film, the two were just friends and Michael was nowhere to be seen. This worked out well because that paved the way for Chris Pine's break-out role as Nicholas, who won Mia's heart in the sequel.

So which of these two gentlemen will have Mia's heart in the third installment of the franchise? It's hard to guess at this point since no additional cast members have been announced. But the internet is starkly divided into #TeamMichael and #TeamNicholas.

Unfortunately, fans will have to wait at least a little longer for more details and to clarify which leading man steals Mia's heart. Or will it be a new guy altogether? With any luck, Grandma Clarisse will be by her side to make sure she ends up with the man who's best for her.