Anne Hathaway tributes ‘The Princess Diaries’ on anniversary

Fifteen years ago on August 3, 2001, teen comedy film “The Princess Diaries” released to North American cinemas, and lead actress Anne Hathaway hasn’t forgotten its impact on her life or that of countless others.

Actress Anne Hathaway
© Robyn BECK / AFP

“It’s been 15 years (say it with me) SHUT UP!!!!!” Anne Hathawaywrote on Instagram, quoting one of the film’s best-known lines.

“To all the fans who have loved Mia, Louie, Lily, Joe, Michael and, of course, Queen Clarisse, thank you from the bottom of my heart!” she said, referring to the film’s principal cast, reserving her final words for director Garry Marshall, who died aged 81 just two weeks beforehand.

“Thank you for making me a princess. I love you always my beloved friend and teacher, and I miss you every day.”

For Hathaway, who won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for 2012’s “Les Misérables,” “The Princess Diaries” was a breakthrough.

She played Mia Thermopolis, a somewhat ungainly but principled and romantic New York teen who, it transpires, is heir to the throne of quaint European country Genovia.

Made on a production budget of $26M, “The Princess Diaries” adapted the first in a series of novels by Meg Cabot, and went on to gross over $165M at the international box office.