The Princess Diaries (2001)
She rocks. She rules. She reigns.
A socially awkward but very bright 15-year-old girl being raised by a single mom discovers that she is the princess of a small European country because of the recent death of her long-absent father, who, unknown to her, was the crown prince of Genovia. She must make a choice between continuing the life of a San Francisco teen or stepping up to the throne.
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| Type | Movie |
|---|---|
| Released | 3 August 2001 |
| Genre | Comedy, Family, Romance |
| Director | Garry Marshall |
| Starring | Anne Hathaway, Julie Andrews and Heather Matarazzo |
| Runtime | 115 min |
| Rated | G |
| Scores | Rotten Tomatoes (average) 5.3/10 · Rotten Tomatoes 49% · Metacritic 52/100 · TMDB users 7.0/10 |
Where to watch The Princess Diaries
The Princess Diaries is streaming on Disney+ ($21.49 a month) in the US. If that is the only reason to subscribe, one month of Disney+ is $21.49 at list price.
We check availability daily. Page last updated 1 November 2026. Prices are standard monthly plans and change often, so check with the service before you sign up.
Rent or buy
You can rent or buy The Princess Diaries on Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube and Fandango at Home.
Where to watch The Princess Diaries in 58 other countries
| Country | Streaming on (price a month) |
|---|---|
| Argentina | Disney+ $15599 ARS |
| Australia | Disney+ $17.99 AUD |
| Austria | Disney+ €10.99 |
| Belgium | Disney+ €10.99 |
| Belize | Disney+ |
| Bolivia | Disney+ |
| Brazil | Disney+ R$49.90 |
| Bulgaria | Disney+ €9.99 |
| Canada | Disney+ $15.99 CAD |
| Chile | Disney+ $10990 CLP |
| Colombia | Disney+ $36900 COP |
| Costa Rica | Disney+ |
| Croatia | Disney+ €9.99 |
| Czechia | Disney+ 219 Kč |
| Denmark | Disney+ 119 kr DKK |
| Dominican Republic | Disney+ |
| Ecuador | Disney+ $11.49 |
| El Salvador | Disney+ |
| Finland | Disney+ €11.99 |
| France | Disney+ €10.99 |
| Germany | Disney+ €10.99 |
| Greece | Disney+ €10.99 |
| Guatemala | Disney+ |
| Honduras | Disney+ |
| Hong Kong | Disney+ HK$88 |
| Hungary | Disney+ 2990 Ft |
| India | Jiohotstar |
| Ireland | Disney+ €11.99 |
| Italy | Disney+ €10.99 |
| Jamaica | Disney+ |
| Japan | Disney+ ¥1250 JPY |
| Liechtenstein | Disney+ |
| Luxembourg | Disney+ €10.99 |
| Mexico | Disney+ $259 MXN |
| Netherlands | Disney+ €10.99 |
| New Zealand | Disney+ $18.99 NZD |
| Nicaragua | Disney+ |
| Norway | Disney+ 129 kr NOK |
| Panama | Disney+ $12.49 |
| Paraguay | Disney+ |
| Peru | Disney+ S/49.90 |
| Poland | Disney+ 34.99 zł |
| Portugal | Disney+ €10.99 |
| Romania | Disney+ 34.99 lei |
| San Marino | Disney+ |
| Singapore | Disney+ $18.98 SGD |
| Slovakia | Disney+ €9.99 |
| South Korea | Disney+ ₩9900 |
| Spain | Disney+ €10.99 |
| St. Lucia | Disney+ |
| Sweden | Disney+ 129 kr SEK |
| Switzerland | Disney+ CHF16.90 |
| Taiwan | Disney+ NT$285 |
| Trinidad & Tobago | Disney+ |
| Türkiye | Disney+ ₺449.90 |
| United Kingdom | Disney+ £11.99 GBP |
| Uruguay | Disney+ about $U522 |
| Venezuela | Disney+ |
Subscription, free and ad-supported services we track; prices where Binge Boss has a price list for the country. "About" marks a price the service bills in another currency, converted at the day's rate. All countries as data.
What kind of watch this is
Garry Marshall directs a 115-minute comedy about a San Francisco teen who suddenly discovers she is the heir to a tiny European throne. The film balances the shock of that revelation with the mundane struggles of high school, where royalty is less useful than a decent haircut. Anne Hathaway plays Mia, a girl navigating the gap between her quiet life and the loud expectations of her new title. Julie Andrews steps in as the matriarch trying to polish a rough diamond. It is a movie that trusts the audience to enjoy the absurdity of a 15-year-old learning to tuck in her shirt while also learning to rule. The stakes are high, but the pacing is light.
What the critics said
The reviews split cleanly in half, which feels like a fair verdict for a film about a girl trying to be everything at once. Rotten Tomatoes sits at 49% as of October 2024, while Metacritic lands on a 52/100 in November 2024. It is a movie that divides the room. Ed Park of The Village Voice called it "a modest, enjoyable fairy tale," a description that captures the charm without overstating the stakes. Not everyone was charmed. Michael O’Sullivan of The Washington Post noted it has enough material to entertain older audiences, a rare concession for a target demographic that usually expects a lecture.
How it did with audiences
The Princess Diaries has no box office figures listed, so we look at what people think of it. TMDB users give it a 7 out of 10. It is a solid score. Audiences liked watching a girl learn to be a princess. The rating suggests it holds up, or at least holds attention.
What came next for the cast
Julie Andrews moved from Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music into a string of family-friendly roles, including the 2004 sequel and 2010’s Tooth Fairy. Heather Matarazzo went from Scream 3 to Wednesday, a career pivot that defies simple explanation. Caroline Goodall stepped away from Schindler’s List and Hook, eventually landing in Nymphomaniac: Vol. II. The film did not cause these shifts, but the timeline shows where the roads led.
Where it left its mark
The Princess Diaries has a long shelf life. Julia Roberts? No, it’s Anne Hathaway. She attributes the film’s endurance to new generations rediscovering it roughly every seven years. The movie’s core appeal lies in its focus on responsibility and self-discovery. But the real legacy is the makeover scene. Critics from Seventeen to The Ringer rank it among the greatest in film history. It avoids the tired trope of just removing glasses, opting for a full transformation instead. That single sequence practically made the makeover genre Hathaway’s trademark.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched The Princess Diaries.
Sources
- The Princess Diaries on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q1046295 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “The Princess Diaries (film)” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
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