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The Princess Diaries

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This article is about the novels. For the 2001 film, see The Princess Diaries (film).

The Princess Diaries is a series of epistolary young adult novels written by Meg Cabot, and is also the title of the first volume, published in 2000. The series spent 48 weeks on the New York Times Children's Series Best Sellers List.[1] The series revolves around Amelia 'Mia' Thermopolis, a teenager in New York City who discovers that she is the princess of a small European principality called Genovia. The series follows Mia's life throughout high school in the 2000s and juggling regular teenage life with being a royal princess. The books are noted for containing many pop culture references from the 2000s that influence some of the plot.

The Princess Diaries
AuthorMeg Cabot
Original title
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreYoung adult novel
PublisherHarperTrophy
PublishedMay 30, 2000
No. of books12
OCLC47228587
Followed byThe Princess Diaries, Volume II: Princess in the Spotlight
WebsiteThe Princess Diaries

Meg Cabot quotes the series' inspiration on her website stating: "I was inspired to write The Princess Diaries when my mom, after the death of my father, began dating one of my teachers; they later went on to get married just as Mia's mom does in the book! I have always had a 'thing' for princesses (my parents used to joke that when I was smaller, I did a lot of insisting that my 'real' parents, the king and queen, were going to come get me soon, and that everyone had better start being a lot nicer to me) so I stuck a princess in the book just for kicks... and voilà! The Princess Diaries was born."[2]

In 2015, a spin-off series for tweens launched. Mia's half-sister Olivia made her debut in From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess, released in May 2015. The latest book in The Princess Diaries series, titled The Quarantine Princess Diaries, was published in March 2023.

Setting

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Genovia
'The Princess Diaries' location
 
Flag of Genovia
Created byMeg Cabot
GenreYoung adult fiction
In-universe information
Other name(s)Principality of Genovia
TypeParliamentary Monarchy
RulerPrincess Mia (princess regent, currently)

Princess Clarisse Renaldi (princess dowager)

Prince Artur Christoff Phillipe Gerard (abdicated)
LocationsPyrus (capital)
New Pyrus (largest city)
Population64,486
MottoThe whole body works
AnthemGenovia, the land I call my home
Language(s)English and French
CurrencyGenoves (LKM)

The series is set primarily in the Manhattan borough of New York City. Some books take place in Genovia, a fictional European country. Genovia is a principality between France and Italy ruled by Mia's father, Prince Philippe Renaldi, and by Mia's grandmother, Dowager Princess Clarisse Renaldi.

Characters

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Mia Thermopolis

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Amelia Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldo (Amelia Mignonette Thermopolis Renaldi in the movies), Princess of Genovia is the protagonist of the series. She is the daughter of Helen Thermopolis, a painter, and Philippe Renaldo, the crown prince of Genovia. Mia is also the Princess Regent of Genovia.

Mia is sometimes shy and has a down-to-earth personality, though on occasion Mia shows herself to be quite sarcastic and sly. Throughout the series, she is very critical of herself, describing herself as flat-chested, taller than most girls at 5-foot-9, and having embarrassingly large feet. She also has a tendency to over-analyze things and worry too much.

In the 2001 film, The Princess Diaries, Mia (portrayed by Anne Hathaway) is aged 15, unlicensed, and owns a 1965 Mustang. She has similar qualities, but her father dies two months prior to when the movie begins, and her last name is Renaldi instead of Renaldo. She lives in San Francisco instead of New York.

Clarisse Marie Grimaldi Renaldo, Dowager Princess of Genovia

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Clarisse Maria was formally known as Clarisse Marie Grimaldi Renaldo, Dowager Princess of Genovia.

Clarisse is the dowager princess of Genovia and Mia's paternal grandmother. Mia refers to her as "Grand-mère" (French for "Grandmother"). As a young woman, she married Prince Rupert Renaldi and had two sons. She speaks French most of the time, but she can also speak English; however, she disdains English as a vulgar language. She is almost always accompanied by her miniature poodle, Rommel, who is notable for having a severe case of OCD that causes him to lick his own fur off. She smokes often and enjoys drinking sidecars. She is not above lying or manipulating others in order to get her own way.

Lilly Moscovitz

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Mia's best friend since kindergarten, Lilly is a highly intelligent and opinionated person who has her own public-access television show, titled Lilly Tells It Like It Is, in which she discusses political and social issues. By the end of the series, her TV show is picked up by a network and is apparently very popular in South Korea. Lilly is not considered to be very pretty; Mia often describes her face as being "squashed in like a pug's". However, she has a well-developed figure.

In the 2001 Disney Movie, Lilly, portrayed by Heather Matarazzo, is portrayed as intelligent, confident, and socially conscious. Her talk show is called "Shut Up and Listen". She is then a student at Berkeley in The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. Mia appoints Lilly as her royal secretary.

Michael Moscovitz

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Lilly's older brother, and Mia's main love interest throughout the series. Michael is tall and has brown eyes and thick, dark hair. Mia insists that he is the third best-looking guy at AEHS after Josh Richter and Justin Baxendale and describes his nose as aquiline, mouth as "eminently kissable", and neck as aromatic due to an intoxicating blend of Tide from his shirt collar, his Gillette shaving foam, and Ivory soap. Though he often clashes with his younger sister, Michael and Lilly are in fact close siblings and friends. He used to run his own webzine, Crackhead, but had to disband it after an editorial stating the merits of Linux over Windows, which caused a loss of advertisers and funds. Shortly after this, Michael starts a band called Skinner Box (a name suggested by Mia) with a few friends, including Boris Pelkowski.

Tina Hakim Baba

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A student at AEHS, Tina is the daughter of a Saudi Arabian oil sheik and a British former supermodel. Because of her father's status, she has to have the protection of a bodyguard, Wahim, which isolates her from the other students until Mia sits with her after a fight with Lilly in the first novel.

Secondary characters

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  • Lars van der Hooten: Mia's very protective Swedish bodyguard.
  • Helen Thermopolis: Mia's mother. She has a career as an artist and spends most of her time in her studio.
  • Frank Gianini: Mia's algebra and homeroom teacher. He dates her mother, Helen, and marries her when she becomes pregnant with Mia's half-brother, Rocky.
  • John Paul "J.P." Reynolds Abernathy IV: Initially known as "The Guy Who Hates It When They Put Corn In the Chili", J.P. meets Mia via Grand-mère's school musical in Party Princess.
  • Boris Pelkowski: A Russian violin virtuoso, and Lilly's boyfriend. His habits include tucking his sweater into his pants, breathing through his mouth, and playing the violin in Gifted and Talented class, when everyone else wants him to be quiet.
  • Josh Richter: Lana Weinberger's boyfriend. He is on the crew team and is co-valedictorian.
  • Lana Weinberger: A popular junior cheerleader with long blonde hair, a peaches-and-cream complexion, baby blue eyes and a voluptuous figure

Volumes

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Illustrated by Chelsey McLaren:

  • Princess Lessons, March 2003
  • Perfect Princess, March 2004
  • Holiday Princess, November 2005

Related book

  • Ransom My Heart by Princess of Genovia Mia Thermopolis, January 2009

Awards and nominations

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Film series

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The Princess Diaries film series consists of comedy films based on the book series of the same name by Meg Cabot. Starring Anne Hathaway in the title role, with an ensemble supporting cast, the films follows Mia Thermopolis, a 15 year old ordinary American teenager who discovers she is heir to the throne of the European kingdom, Genovia.

The Princess Diaries
Starring
Distributed byBuena Vista Pictures Distribution (1-2)
Release date
2001–present
Running time
228 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$66 million (Total of 2 films)
Box office$300,069,634 (Total of 2 films)

In 2001 and 2004 respectively, two films based on the novels were produced by Walt Disney Pictures, The Princess Diaries and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement starring Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews respectively as Mia Thermopolis and Clarisse Renaldi. Cabot has thanked the films many times in interviews and on her website because she believes that they helped boost her book sales, as well as making her the success that she is today.

Films

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Film Release date Director Screenwriters Producers
The Princess Diaries August 3, 2001 (2001-08-03) Garry Marshall Gina Wendkos Whitney Houston, Debra Martin Chase & Mario Iscovich
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement August 11, 2004 (2004-08-11) Shonda Rhimes Whitney Houston & Debra Martin Chase
The Princess Diaries 3 TBA Adele Lim TBA TBA

Reception

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For more details on the reception of each film, see the "Reception" section on each film's article.

Box office performance

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Film Box office gross Box office ranking Budget Ref.
North America Other
territories 		Worldwide All time
North America 		All time
worldwide
The Princess Diaries $108,248,956 $57,086,197 $165,335,153 N/A N/A $26 million [13]
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement $95,170,481 $39,564,000 $134,734,481 N/A N/A $40 million [14]
Totals $203,419,437 $96,650,197 $300,069,634 $66 million

Critical and public response

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Film Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic
The Princess Diaries 49% (118 reviews)[15] 52 (27 reviews)[16]
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement 26% (120 reviews)[17] 43 (31 reviews)[18]

Other adaptations

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The first season of the Netflix adult animated comedy series Q-Force features Stephanie Beatriz as Mira Popadopolous, based on Mia Thermopolis, whose backstory adapts the events of The Princess Diaries.[19]

See also

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References

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  • Cabot, Meg (2001). The Princess Diaries. New York, New York. HarperTrophy. ISBN 0-380-81402-1.
  • Cabot, Meg (2006). The Princess Diaries, Volume VII: Party Princess. New York, New York. HarperCollins. ISBN 0-06-072453-6.

Footnotes

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  1. ^ "Children's Series". The New York Times. February 1, 2009. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  2. ^ The Princess Diaries, Vol I, Meg Cabot
  3. ^ a b FAQS Meg Cabot Website.
  4. ^ New For 2015 From Meg Cabot Meg Cabot Blog
  5. ^ New Princess Diaries novel coming in March 2023 , Meg Cabot Blog
  6. ^ "ALA |2001 Best Books for Young Adults" Archived August 22, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ "ALA |2001 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers" Archived June 16, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ "The Princess Diaries, Volume I" Archived January 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ "Young Adults' Choices for 2002" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 15, 2013. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
  10. ^ "Volunteer State Book Award Winners 1978–present" Archived June 22, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ "Past Winners of the Evergreen Young Adult Book Award" Archived October 2, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ "The 100 Best YA Books of All Time"
  13. ^ "The Princess Diaries (2001)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  14. ^ "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  15. ^ "The Princess Diaries RT". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  16. ^ "The Princess Diaries: reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  17. ^ "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement RT". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  18. ^ "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement: Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  19. ^ Hipes, Patrick (June 23, 2021). "Netflix's 'Q-Force' Rounds Out Cast Joining Sean Hayes, Sets Premiere Date; Watch Teaser Trailer". Deadline. Archived from the original on June 23, 2021. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
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