For many fans, Julie Andrews will always be Queen of Genovia. But this Hollywood royal is abdicating her throne.
The Oscar-winning actress, who starred as Queen Clarisse Renaldi in "The Princess Diaries" films, addressed her absence from the franchise's upcoming sequel in an interview with InStyle published Monday, Aug. 10.
The much-anticipated movie, which comes more than 20 years after "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement," will feature the return of Andrews' costar Anne Hathaway, who played Queen Clarisse's outlandish granddaughter Mia Thermopolis.
"I think I probably passed," Andrews, 90, told the outlet, although she later clarified that her career activity in recent years was the deciding factor in her involvement with the film.
"I think
I'm retired, really, would be about the best description for that," Andrews continued. "[The film's creative team] asked me all last year if I would be keen to do it. It was very, very hard to say no, but I did because I thought I had a wonderful ride, and this one I felt would flourish very well and wouldn't need granny going in there at my age."
Andrews, already a Hollywood legend thanks to iconic roles in "Mary Poppins," "The Sound of Music" and "Victor/Victoria," teamed up with then-newcomer Hathaway on "The Princess Diaries," a coming-of-age dramedy based on the young adult book series by Meg Cabot. Andrews' character Queen Clarisse is tasked with training her estranged granddaughter Mia to become a princess and carry on the family's royal lineage.
Released in 2001, the film raked in over $160 million dollars at the global box office and became a defining movie of the aughties teen comedy era. Its follow-up, 2004's "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement," similarly charmed audiences, grossing $134.7 million.
"The Princess Diaries 3," which does not have a release date," is currently in pre-production, according to the film's IMDb page. The movie is slated to be directed by "Joy Ride" director Adele Lim.
Hathaway gave an update on the film's progress during a July 16 appearance on Andy Cohen's SiriusXM show "Radio Andy."
"I'm busy making baby No. 3, and that has sort of taken the place of knowing exactly when I can make 'Princess Diaries 3,'" Hathaway, who is pregnant with her third child, told Cohen But, "The Odyssey" actress added, "I can say, I think we had a story breakthrough. I think that we're moving in the right direction."
"The script that we were working on had – 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," Hathaway continued.
Contributing: Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why Julie Andrews won't be back for 'The Princess Diaries 3'
