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The Princess Diaries
Series of young adult novels by Meg Cabot From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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 consists of 12 core novels, 4 novellas, and 4 companion novels. The series follows normal-American-teen-turned-royal Mia Thermopolis through her "diary" entries. The series originally concluded in 2009 with the tenth volume, but was revived in 2015 and 2023 with Royal Wedding and The Quarantine Princess Diaries, respectively. A spin-off series for younger audiences was launched in 2015, which follows Mia's younger half-sister, Olivia.
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Premise
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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.
Inspiration
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."[1]
Real-life figures that Cabot is speculated to have drawn inspiration from include Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois (1898–1977), the illegitimate daughter of Louis II, Prince of Monaco who was later legitimized as his legal heiress and Jazmin Grace Grimaldi (1992–present), the illegitimate daughter of Albert II, Prince of Monaco, born and living in the United States.
The fictional country the royal family belongs to shares geographical and cultural similarities with the Republic of Genoa, a historical republic.
Setting
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.
Geographically, Genovia is situated on the Mediterranean Sea, and backs against the rugged snowcapped mountainous terrain of the Alps.[2] The slopes of the mountains are home to mostly olive trees. Genovia's economy is built around its popularity as a tourist destination,[3] and its export of high end olive oil.
The fictional history of Genovia is revealed throughout the series, as its national dynamics are explored. Genovia's history can be traced back to 568 AD, when Visigothic warlord Albion killed the King of Italy and placed himself on the throne.[4] He then decided to marry Rosagunde, the daughter of one of the old king's generals. Albion forced his new wife to drink wine from skull of her deceased father. She got revenge on Albion, on the night of their wedding she strangled him with her own braids while he slept.[5] After Albion's death, the old King of Italy's son took over. Grateful to Rosagunde, the king made her the princess of the area later known as Genovia. Rosagunde implemented a sophisticated system of governmental checks and balances, and did away entirely with the death penalty.[5]
In 1939, Genovia was invaded by Mussolini's forces, and the Dowager's husband historically pledged to exercise the rights of sovereignty in accordance to the political and economic interests of neighboring France in exchange for military and naval protection in the event of war.[6] He also led Genovians in arms against the Nazis.[2]
For the wedding of King Rupert to Clarisse, the queen had a fever of 102°, but still stood through the two-hour wedding ceremony, followed by riding in an open coach through the streets of Genovia. At the wedding reception, prosciutto and melon were served, the crowd waltzed until four in the morning.[7]
Prince Philippe managed to work around his father's agreement, resulting in a nation with the highest literacy rate in Europe, some of the best educational attainment rates, and the lowest infant mortality, inflation, and unemployment rates in the Western Hemisphere.[6] Genovia does not have an Air force or Navy, but it does have a National Guard.[8]
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Characters
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Amelia "Mia" Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldo, Princess of Genovia
Mia Thermopolis is the protagonist of the series. She is the teenage daughter of Helen Thermopolis, a painter, and Philippe Renaldo, the crown prince of Genovia. Mia learns she is the Princess Regent of Genovia while she is a student at the fictional Albert Einstein High School in Manhattan.
Mia is sometimes shy and has a down-to-earth personality, though on occasion she 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 and worry.
In the film series, some of Mia's external characteristics and life details are altered, but much of her core personality remains. She is portrayed by Anne Hathaway. Her last name was changed to Renaldi for the films.
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.
In the film series, Clarisse is portrayed by Julie Andrews and is characterized as more proper.
Lilly Moscovitz
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 film series, Lilly is portrayed by Heather Matarazzo. She is characterized as brash, rebellious, and socially conscious. Her talk show is called "Shut Up and Listen". In the second installment she is a student at Berkeley.
Michael Moscovitz
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.
In the 2001 film, Michael is portrayed by Robert Schwartzman. While he is the main love interest in this film, they agree to just be friends and break up before the events of the 2004 sequel and he does not appear.
Secondary characters
- Lars van der Hooten: Mia's very protective Swedish bodyguard. In the films, his counterpart is stern-but-lovable head of security and driver Joe, portrayed by Héctor Elizondo.
- Helen Thermopolis: Mia's mother. She has a career as an artist and spends most of her time in her studio. In the films she is portrayed by Caroline Goodall.
- 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. His film counterpart is English teacher Patrick O'Connell, portrayed by Sean O'Bryan.
- Artur Christoff Phillipe Gerard Grimaldi Renaldo, Prince of Genovia: Mia's father and Clarisse's son. He had a brief tryst with Helen resulting in Mia's conception. He initially keeps Mia's royal status a secret from her, but learns due to cancer he cannot have any more children, leaving Mia the heir. He does not appear directly in the film series as he passes prior to the events of the first film, but is heard through narration by René Auberjonois and portrayed in photos by Gerald Hathaway.
- Tina Hakim Baba: Mia's classmate and the daughter of a Saudi Arabian oil sheik and a British ex-supermodel. She has her own bodyguard, Wahim. Mia and Tina bond over their shared experience in isolation from their peers.
- John Paul "J.P." Reynolds Abernathy IV: Initially known as "The Guy Who Hates It When They Put Corn In the Chili", J.P. is a classmate who meets Mia through Grand-mère's school musical in Party Princess, eventually becoming her friend.
- 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.
- Lana Weinberger: A popular junior cheerleader with long blonde hair, a peaches-and-cream complexion, baby blue eyes and a voluptuous figure. She is a main antagonist of the first film, in which her last name is Thomas and she is portrayed by Mandy Moore.
- Josh Richter: Lana Weinberger's boyfriend. He is on the crew team and is co-valedictorian. In the first film, he is Josh Bryant, popular student and Mia's crush, portrayed by Erik Von Detten.
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Books in series
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On January 1, 2009, Ransom My Heart was published under William Morrow Paperbacks. The book is written by Cabot, but authorship is credited as "Princess of Genovia Mia Thermopolis with help from Meg Cabot." In-universe, the book is Mia's senior project, and does not include the characters or continue the plot of The Princess Diaries. The novel follows a headstrong huntress who kidnaps a knight for ransom, only to fall in love when he is revealed as a lord.
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Awards and recognition
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The series spent 48 weeks on the New York Times Children's Series Best Sellers List.[10]
Selected reading lists
- American Library Association:
- Best Books for Young Adults (2001)[17]
- Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (2001, 2002, 2003)[18]
- Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (2003, 2014)
- New York Public Library's Books for the Teen Age (2001)[19]
- Texas Lone Star Reading List (2001)
- International Reading Association's Young Adults' Choices (2002, 2004, 2006)[20]
- Teen Read Week Top Ten (2004)
- NPR's 100 Best Ever Teen Novels (2012)[21]
- Time's 100 Best YA Books of All Time (2021)[22]
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Adaptations
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Film Series
The Princess Diaries film series currently consists of two teen comedy films starring Anne Hathaway in the titular role and Julie Andrews as Queen Clarisse Renaldi, produced by Walt Disney Pictures and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures under theie former name Buena Vista Pictures Distribution. 2001's The Princess Diaries, based on the first novel, was a major success, becoming an unexpected box office hit.[23][24][25] 2004's The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement was not based on any existing book, and performed well at the box office but receive mixed reviews from critics.[26][27] A third entry in the film series will also be distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures and is currently in the casting stage of production, and will feature Mia's half-sister Olivia from From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess in a lead role.[28][29] The existing films diverge greatly from the plot of the novels, but Cabot has publicly thanked the films repeatedly in interviews and online for contributing significantly to her book sales and success as an author. [citation needed]
Parodies
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.[30]
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See also
- Ruritanian romance: a genre of stories set in a fictional country.
References
External links
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