The Princess Diaries is a 2001 comedy film produced by singer and actress Whitney Houston and directed by Garry Marshall. It is based on Meg Cabot's 2000 novel of the same name. The film stars Anne Hathaway (her film debut) as Mia Thermopolis, a teenager who discovers that she is the heir to the throne of the fictional Kingdom of Genovia, ruled by her grandmother Queen Dowager Clarisse Renaldi, who is portrayed by Julie Andrews. It also stars Heather Matarazzo as Mia's best friend Lilly Moscovitz, Héctor Elizondo as Joseph, the Queen's Head of Security, and Robert Schwartzman as Lilly's brother Michael, who has a crush on Mia.
It was released to North American theatres on August 3, 2001 and peaked at number three in the box office. The Princess Diaries was a commercial success, grossing $165,335,153 worldwide. The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, the film's sequel, was released in August 2004.
Summary
Mia Thermopolis (Hathaway) is a fifteen-year-old tenth grade private school student who lives with her mother Helen Thermopolis (Caroline Goodall) and her cat, Fat Louie, in a renovated San Francisco firehouse. Mia is an average student and extremely unpopular. She is seemingly invisible to her crush, Josh Bryant (Erik von Detten) and his cheerleader girlfriend Lana Thomas (Mandy Moore). Mia, however, has one best friend: Lilly Moscovitz (Matarazzo) as well as Lilly's brother Michael (Schwartzman).
A few weeks before Mia's sixteenth birthday, Mia learns her paternal grandmother is visiting from Genovia, a small European kingdom. Mia meets her grandmother, Queen Clarisse Renaldi (Andrews), at the Genovian consulate for the first time in her life. Queen Clarisse explains that the reason she wanted to see her was because of a "life-changing" problem. Mia learns that her father was Crown Prince of Genovia and, due to his recent death, she is now next and sole heir to the Genovian throne. She is shocked to learn that she is in fact a princess and runs away, rejecting the notion.
Queen Clarisse visits Mia and Helen and explains that if Mia refuses the throne, Genovia will be without a ruler. She also explains that Mia needs to be presented as their princess at the upcoming Genovian State Dinner. Helen convinces Mia to attend "princess lessons" with the Queen, who tells Mia need not have to make her full decision until the annual Genovian Independence Day ball. The Queen gives Mia a limousine to use as well as her own bodyguard, Joseph "Joe" (Elizondo), the Queen's head of security.
Mia begins seeing her grandmother everyday after school for her lessons, which include table manners, dancing, and personal presentation. Mia's frequent absence begins to put Lilly on-edge, and after Mia receives a makeover from Italian hairdresser Paulo (Larry Miller), Lilly confronts her and accuses her of trying to be like the popular girls. Mia breaks down and tells Lilly everything, and Mia makes Lilly promise not to tell anyone (including Michael) that she is a princess to avoid a frenzy with the press.
The San Francisco Chronicle however learns that Mia is the Genovian Crown Princess after Paulo breaks his confidentiality agreement. Although thoroughly annoyed, Queen Clarisse presses onward and prepares for the State Dinner. Mia attends, but publicly humiliates herself and her grandmother with her clumsiness.
While driving with her grandmother back to the Genovian consulate, Mia's car fails on a hill and rams into a cable cars loaded with people. No one is hurt, but two nuns call the police. To save Mia a trip to the police station for driving without a license, Queen Clarisse appoints the police man and trolley master to the "Genovian Order of the Rose" (a fictitious chivalric order). The men are so flattered that they drop any charges and give Queen Clarisse and Mia a ride back to the consulate in a police car.
Josh Bryant, the popular boy Mia has a crush on, asks her to go with him to the school's annual beach party. She agrees, but Michael and Lilly are both hurt that she blew them off. The beach party spirals out of control when the media learns of Mia's presence. Josh uses her to get his fifteen minutes of fame by publicly kissing Mia, after which Lana and two popular girls trick Mia into undressing in a tent. They remove the tent as she is semi-nude and call the paparazzi. Mia's gym coach shoos off the paparazzi and takes Mia home. Later that night, Mia cries in her mother's arms.
The unflattering photos wind up on tabloid covers the following day and Queen Clarisse chides her granddaughter. Joe later reminds Queen Clarisse that although Mia is a princess, she is still a teenager and her granddaughter. To rescue her friendships with Lilly and Michael, Mia apologises and invites them to the Genovian Independence Day Ball. Mia also publicly humiliates Lana by smearing ice cream on her cheerleader dress at school in front of students and calling her a jerk.
Terrified knowing that she must personally and publicly announce her decision, Mia plans to run away. She is stopped when she receives a letter from her father written before his death. Touched by his words, she changes her mind and makes her way to the ball. Her car breaks down but she is taken by Joe, who arrives with a limousine (having suspected her plans to run away).
When they arrive, Mia voices her acceptance of the Genovian throne. She shares her first dance with Michael, who then takes her outside to the consulate's garden where they kiss. Clarisse and Joe are seen holding hands, signifying the start of a relationship. The last scene shows Mia on the plane with Joe and her cat, whose name is Fat Louie. Mia is writing in her diary, explaining that she is moving with her mother to Genovia, and that Lily and Michael will visit her during summer holiday. When Mia looks out of the plane's window, Joe welcomes her to Genovia as she sees the beautiful royal palace and landscape below.
