Once upon a time in a town called San Francisco, lived the Princess of Genovia, Mia Thermopolis. Suddenly, the princess learns of her royalty for the first time and must begin a strange and wondrous journey into the proper behavior and etiquette of being the heir apparent to the crown. Anne Hathaway played Mia Thermopolis, who received her “princess lessons” from her strict and formidable grandmother, Queen Clarisse Renaldi, played by the far from formidable Disney Legend, Julie Andrews. The Princess Diaries, which premiered on this day in 2001, is a true Disney family film… in fact, many of the cast and crew’s family members were in the film. The role of Mia’s father was actually played by Anne Hathaway’s real life father. Director Garry Marshall’s granddaughters Lily & Charlotte Marshall-Fricker appeared as twins who get Mia’s autograph. The press secretary at the Grand Ball is Tracy Reiner, the daughter of Garry’s sister, Penny Marshall. Garry himself makes an appearance at the end of the movie, dancing in a tuxedo with his other sister, Ronny. The film was so successful it spawned a sequel, The Princess Diaries 2… and they lived happily ever after.
