Princess Diaries 3, A Prequel? Here’s Our Theories on the Plot
This is not a drill! Her majesty is back! Anne Hathaway is back to reprise her role as Mia Thermopolis in Princess Diaries 3. The story continues about the princess we’ve come to know and love because of her awkwardness and insecurities, yet she managed to find the strength to overcome life’s surprises.
The Princess Diaries and Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement gave us Mia, a student at Grove High School who lives her life as if invisible, that is, until she finds out she is the sole heir to the throne of Genovia after her father died.
As if high school isn’t hard enough, imagine being a princess in training! Mia had to master the art of being prim and proper, which is not an easy task for someone as clumsy as she is. On top of that, at such a young age, she had to learn to shoulder the responsibility of an entire nation. She also needed to conform to an archaic law of ruling; she needed a husband, which, of course, she isn’t ready for and would prefer to marry someone she loves, not someone she’s forced to marry.
There aren’t a lot of official announcements yet about Princess Diaries 3 so we must patiently wait to speculate on what the third movie will be about. The only cast member who’s confirmed is Hathaway (obviously), who is also producing the film. The other news we have so far about the movie is that it’s going to be a prequel, according to USA Today.
If part 3 is indeed a prequel, here are our theories.
1. Princess Diaries 3 is About Mia’s Parents Love Story
Parts 1 and 2 did not tell us much about Mia’s parents and what hurdles they needed to overcome at the beginning of their relationship. Since the movies have deviated from its source materials, the writers are free to give us a love story that could rival that of Princess Mako, the eldest child of the crown prince of Japan who gave up her title to marry a commoner, albeit a bittersweet one since Mia’s parents have decided it’s best for both to live their lives separately.
So, how will Hathaway appear in this story as her character Mia Thermopolis? The movie can both be a prequel and a sequel, like Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.
2. A Princess Before Mia
In the books, Mia has a younger half-sister. However, since the movies didn’t strictly follow the source, the writers can change it to an older half-sister with her own claim to the throne. Princess Diaries 3 can show her life before finding out she has a country to inherit.
Although pursuing this storyline is a bit like The Princess Diaries where Mia found out she’s a princess and Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, where someone else is eligible to rule Genovia.
3. Clarisse and Joe’s Love Story
At the end of Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, Queen Clarisse and Joe finally get together. The prequel can be about their story! Perhaps Joe and Clarisse were together from the start but had to part ways so Clarisse could fulfill her royal duties. Joe, unwilling to leave her side, chose to work for her not only to stay near her but also to protect her from usurpers.
It would be nice to see those subtle glances and secret exchanges as they struggle to hide their feelings. Learning about the difficulties they survived will make their eventual union in the end, sweeter.
4. Clarisse’s Rise to Power
The prequel can be about Clarisse’s rise to power as Queen of Genovia. Since the ending of Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement is Mia’s coronation as queen, it makes sense to have a prequel showing how Clarisse became the ruler of Genovia, giving Mia some tips on how she could properly reign.
However, any plot that heavily involves Clarisse might be far-fetched since Julie Andrews, who played her for the past two films, mentioned in an interview with Today in April 2024 that “I’d be very happy if we did do another one. But I don’t expect to.” She also mentioned in 2022 to The Hollywood Reporter that a third movie is likely “too late” especially since the director of the previous films, Gary Marshall, died in 2016.
Or… hear me out. Radio silence on who the original casts already agreed to reprise their roles and all talks about part 3 being a prequel is all a ploy. Princess Diaries 3: Miracles Happen still features Andrews. In Hathaway’s post announcing part 3, a clip of Andrews as Queen Clarisse is seen saying one of her iconic lines from part 2. To include her in the announcement without her agreeing to be part of the third film is just cruel!
The plot is also really about Queen Mia and Nicholas navigating their lives as husband and wife, ruling the country of Genovia. After all, Chris Pine told Access Hollywood he is open to reprising his role in his film debut and in Hathaway’s Instagram caption, she did mention “The fairy tale continues.” Here’s us crossing our fingers that she meant that literally and part 3 picks up where part 2 left off!
