The Princess Diaries Trivia
0Loading crowd target
0Loading crowd target
6correct to beat the crowd
50 free The Princess Diaries trivia questions with answers — entertainment quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
39 free The Princess Diaries trivia questions with answers. The Princess Diaries turned an unknown eighteen-year-old into a star and gave a generation a fictional European country to argue about. These 50 questions cover both films and the books behind them: the converted firehouse, the makeover scene every teen film copied, the car Mia drives, and the duke she gets engaged to in the sequel. There are questions on the people too — the director who created Happy Days, the granddaughters whose opinion helped cast the lead, the future Star Trek captain making his debut, and what it meant when Julie Andrews sang on screen again in 2004 after seven years of silence. Every answer was checked against a primary reference before publication, so the release dates, box-office figures and casting details are accurate rather than half-remembered from a rewatch. Play it solo or use it as a round for anyone who still says 'shut up' in a Genovian accent.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01In which year was The Princess Diaries released?
2001
Disney released it. Its sequel followed three years later.
Q 02Who directed the 2001 film?
Garry Marshall
He had created Happy Days and directed Pretty Woman. His sister Penny Marshall directed Big.
Q 03Whose feature film debut was this 2001 Disney comedy?
Anne Hathaway
She was eighteen when it was shot. It made her a star overnight.
Q 04What is the name of the fictional country Mia inherits?
Genovia
It is a small European principality that exists only in the books and films. Pear farming is its main industry on screen.
Q 05In which city does Mia live at the start of the film?
San Francisco
She and her mother share a converted firehouse there. In the novels the setting is Greenwich Village instead.
Q 06What kind of building do Mia and her mother live in?
A converted firehouse
The building is one of the most memorable sets in the film. Her mother paints there.
Q 07The film is based on a novel by which author?
Meg Cabot
The first book appeared in 2000, one year before the film. The series eventually ran to eleven main novels.
Q 08Which role did Julie Andrews play?
Queen Clarisse Renaldi
It was her first Disney film in nearly four decades. She plays Mia's grandmother.
Q 09How long had it been since Julie Andrews's previous Disney film?
37 years
Mary Poppins came out in 1964. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for it.
Q 10Roughly how much did the first film gross worldwide?
$165.3 million
That was on a modest budget for a Disney comedy. The sequel took slightly less.
Q 11Which actor plays Joe, the head of security and limousine driver?
Héctor Elizondo
He appeared in every film Garry Marshall directed. His character has a quiet romance with the queen.
Q 12Which pop singer made her first credited film appearance as the mean girl Lana Thomas?
Mandy Moore
She had already had hit records by then. The role is small but memorable.
Q 13Which actress plays Mia's best friend Lilly Moscovitz?
Heather Matarazzo
She had made her name in Welcome to the Dollhouse. A casting director introduced her to the film's director.
Q 21Which singer joined Debra Martin Chase as a producer on the sequel?
Whitney Houston
She had produced Disney projects before. Garry Marshall returned to direct.
Q 22In which New York borough was the film's young star born?
Brooklyn
She was born in November 1982. She was still a teenager when the first film was made.
Q 23Where was the film's young star when she auditioned for the role of Mia?
On a flight layover
The director cast her partly because his granddaughters liked her hair. She was on her way to New Zealand.
Q 14Which scene from the film is described as its most famous?
Mia's physical makeover
It involves a hairbrush, a great deal of frizz and a sceptical stylist. Every teen film of the decade copied it.
Q 15When was the sequel, Royal Engagement, released?
2004
Garry Marshall returned to direct it. Whitney Houston was among its producers.
Q 16What must Mia do within a month in the sequel in order to inherit the throne?
Marry
She becomes engaged to Andrew Jacoby, Duke of Kenilworth. It does not go to plan.
Q 17Which future Star Trek captain made his feature film debut in the sequel?
Chris Pine
He played Lord Nicholas Devereaux. Five years later he was commanding the Enterprise.
Q 18What made Julie Andrews's performance of 'Your Crowning Glory' in the sequel notable?
Her first vocal since 1997 surgery
The duet was with Raven-Symoné. The surgery had permanently damaged her voice seven years earlier.
Q 19Which singer performed the duet with Julie Andrews in the sequel?
Raven-Symoné
They sang 'Your Crowning Glory' together. It marked Andrews's return to singing on screen.
Q 20Roughly how much did the sequel take worldwide?
$134.7 million
About $95 million of that came from North America. It did slightly less business than the original.
Q 24Why did the director say he chose his lead, according to his granddaughters?
She had the best princess hair
He often tested casting decisions on children. The advice worked out for everyone concerned.
Q 25For which 2012 musical did the film's young star win an Academy Award?
Les Misérables
She won Best Supporting Actress for playing Fantine. She also took the Golden Globe, SAG and BAFTA awards.
Q 26What was the star's position in the casting order for The Devil Wears Prada?
Ninth choice
The film grossed over $326.5 million worldwide. It became her most widely seen work up to that point.
Q 27In which year was Meg Cabot's first novel published?
2000
The film followed a year later. The series ran to eleven main novels, ending with Royal Wedding in 2015.
Q 28How does Mia's father differ between the film and Meg Cabot's original series?
He is alive in the books
Her mother is a semi-famous painter there. The film moved everything to California.
Q 29What is the biggest difference between page and screen when it comes to Mia's father?
He is alive in the books
The film kills him off before the story starts. In print he is very much present and reigning.
Q 30How old is Mia in the film version?
15
She drives a 1965 Mustang and lives in California. The novels place her a little differently.