Rumors that Andrews might skip the sequel had been circulating for a long time, but the actress has now put an end to the speculation. According to her, the film's creators spent the entire past year trying to persuade her, but she made a firm decision to decline.

"I think the best way to describe it is: I am retired," Julie confessed. "The creative team asked me all last year if I wanted to be involved. It was very, very hard to say no, but I did it because I believe this film will do just fine without grandma trying to butt in at my age."

Despite stepping away from on-screen acting, the actress continues to do voice work. Over the past decade, her voice could be heard in projects such as Minions: The Rise of Gru, Aquaman, and the Netflix series Bridgerton, where she voices the narrator, Lady Whistledown (a job she continues to do from home, in her own words, to "keep the brain sharp").

Disney put the threequel into development back in November 2022. Adele Lim took over the director's chair for the project in 2024.

Anne Hathaway is expected to return to her star-making role as Mia Thermopolis, who has now become the Queen of Genovia herself.

As a result, the third installment of the cult fairy tale will proceed without the participation of Queen Clarisse, though the creators promise viewers a worthy and modern continuation of the beloved characters' story.