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Anne Hathaway, Hilary Duff, Audrey Hepburn, and Other Famous Movie Princesses

By Darrel Kaiden on Jan 21, 2023

Anne Hathaway, Amy Adams and Audrey Hepburn may not be royalty in real-life, but you’d never know it based on some of their most famous film roles.

All three ladies made waves as fictional versions of famous royal figures throughout history: Hathaway proved herself plenty regal with princess roles such as Ella in Ella Enchanted and Mia Thermopolis in The Princess Diaries; while Adams fought for love with Prince Edward (James Marsden) in Enchanted. As for the Breakfast at Tiffany’s beauty, she showed off the less glamorous side of royal life as Europe’s own Princess Anne in Roman Holiday.

Hathaway’s turn as Princess Mia was so popular that the original film spawned a sequel, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, in 2004. Since then, fans have clamored for a third movie, and the Oscar winner has said there’s a script. Even if it never debuts, the Les Misérables star still appreciates the work she got to do on the first two.

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“Getting to make it and be on set every day, I got to hug Julie Andrews every day,” she told Jess Cagle in January 2019. “That part was also very, very, very magical. Then it came out and it was received. That part even, by the way, was magical.”

Other actresses made art imitate life when they played real-life royals. From Naomi Watts, who channeled the late Princess Diana in 2013’s Diana, to Nicole Kidman, who all but became the movie star-turned-royal Grace Kelly in 2014’s Grace of Monaco, plenty of Hollywood’s leading ladies have reigned on high as actual members of monarchies.

A-listers including Lily Collins and Emma Watson also lived the princess fantasy in their respective royal films, stepping into the shoes of famous Disney stars such as Snow White (Mirror Mirror) and Belle (Beauty and the Beast), while more still served as heroic leaders of fictional space republics (the late Carrie Fisher).

Though Fisher later joked about how much she hated the wigs she wore as Leia, she expressed her admiration for the character, who has been an inspiration to kids everywhere since her 1977 debut. “I like how she handles things. I like how she treats people,” the Shockaholic author said during a November 2016 interview with NPR. “She tells the truth. She gets what she wants done. … I’ve sort of melded with her over time.”

Keep scrolling to see which stars have tried on the tiara throughout their film careers:

Credit: Marvel/Disney/Kobal/Shutterstoc

Letitia Wright

Wright played Shuri, the younger sister of T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) — and the princess of Wakanda — in 2018’s Black Panther. She’s set to reprise the role in the 2022 sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Stars Who Played Cinderella on the Big Screen

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Camila Cabello

The former Fifth Harmony member played the titular role in the 2021 adaptation of Cinderella that also starred Billy Porter.

Emma Stone More Stars Who Played Disney Characters-Live-Action-Films-Stars Who Played Disney Characters Live Action Films

Credit: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures/Moviestore/Shutterstock

Naomi Scott

In 2019’s Aladdin, Scott gave Princess Jasmine a bit more agency than she had in the original Disney film. She also got her own solo song titled “Speechless.”