Rating: 5/5 Royal Tears

It’s been over 20 years since Mia Thermopolis last graced our screens. The Princess Diaries 3: The Queen’s Return brings Anne Hathaway back to the role that made her a star, and it is everything we hoped for and more.

The film finds Mia as the Queen of Genovia, ruling with grace and wisdom. But when her beloved grandmother, Queen Clarisse (a posthumous tribute to the late, great Julie Andrews, using archival footage and family permission), passes away, Mia must confront her grief while also facing a new challenge: a constitutional crisis that threatens to abolish the monarchy entirely.

Hathaway is magnificent, bringing decades of life experience to the role. She’s no longer the awkward teenager; she’s a woman, a mother, and a queen, carrying the weight of a nation and the memory of her grandmother. The film is deeply emotional, with flashbacks to the original films that will reduce you to tears. New characters (including Mia’s teenage daughter, discovering her own royal identity) hint at a future for the franchise.

The Verdict: A perfect, emotional conclusion to a beloved trilogy. Bring tissues. Lots of tissues.

Final Thought: A queen is never late. Everyone else is simply early for her tears.