Over 20 years ago, now with a third movie confirmed, many are reminiscing on the films that became childhood favorites.
Original fans of the Princess Diaries movies likely watched them at a young age so some of the jokes written in for older audiences may have been missed on first watch. Now that they're older, viewers can enjoy the movies in new ways whether it be through hidden jokes about feng shui clubs, horse sizes, or more direct jokes that just went over their heads in their younger years.
"You Look So... Clean."
Mia
When Mia first meets Queen Clarisse, the energy is understandably awkward. The first thing the Queen does is put Mia's looks under inspection and doesn't seem too impressed when the only compliment she can come up with is "you look so... young."
Mia matches Clarisse's energy with a response just as forced, saying, "and you look so... clean." Younger audiences might not even find the moment to be all that funny, but the joke gets better when they are old enough to pick up on Mia forcing herself to come up with something other than the opposite of young to describe her grandmother.
"I'm Still Waiting For Normal Body Parts To Arrive."
Mia
Everyone handles shocking news differently, and in Mia's case, she didn't hold back any of the feelings that arose when she found out she was next in line for the throne of Genovia. She even went as far as to tell the current reigning queen to "shut up" (of course, meaning it in the "wow," "gee whiz" and "golly wolly" way).
There are lots of ways someone who feels unfit for a crown would explain their position on the matter, but Mia went with "I'm no princess. I'm still waiting for normal body parts to arrive." It's a puberty joke that many prepubescent children wouldn't fully find the humor in straight out the gate, but it does get funnier for people who've gone through the struggle especially when they notice the Queen's look of astonishment after the outburst.
"Freida And Kahlo."
Paolo
Queen Clarisse described Mia's eyebrows as "bushman eyebrows," but hairstylist Paolo got a little more creative while taking Mia through one of the best movie makeover sequences. "I love your eyebrows. We'll call them Freida and Kahlo," he said facetiously.
Paola continued on with his illustrious description, saying, "if Brooke Shields married Groucho Marx, their child would have your eyebrows!" Freida Kahlo, Brooke Shields, and Groucho Marx aren't exactly names that ring a bell in the minds of kids who aren't up-to-date on their Mexican painters, famous 80s actresses and vaudeville performers. However, with a description like that, older audiences would be able to imagine the thickness and strength of Mia's eyebrows with their eyes closed.
"If This Were A Hearse, There Would Be Silence In The Backseat."
Joe
Hector Elizondo's portrayal of Joseph, the Queen's head of security, wasn't the first time the actor made an appearance in a Garry Marshall movie. He was also in Pretty Woman, and he's not the only reference to Pretty Woman in the Princess Diaries movies. Similar to his other characters, Joe brought a drier and sometimes darker humor to the movie that was enjoyable to fans of all ages.
In one moment between Joe, Mia and Lily, Mia joked that she didn't want to cause a riot by pulling up to her school in the limo, which she described as a hearse. Joe kept things light and responded by saying, "this is a non-riot hearse" and "if this were a hearse, there would be silence in the backseat." It can only be assumed that the writers didn't think it would be the younger viewers who found humor in a hearse reference.
"I Outed You."
Paolo
Paolo came clean about leaking Mia's identity to the press in a scene made funny, not only by Larry Miller's performance as Paolo but also by Sandra Oh's performance as the starstruck principal of Mia's school.
The first thing Paolo said when he walked in the Vice Principal office to address Queen Clarisse was "...I outed you! So to speak. I don't mean to imply-" It's said during his rambling confession so people who don't understand what he was implying may miss it. Nowadays, with gay culture being more mainstream, younger viewers may understand the joke, but growing up in the early 2000s, it's probably not a line that would stand out.
"May You Always Be Baron."
Prime Minister
Baron and Baroness von Troken were minor yet impactful characters in both Princess Diaries movies. Viewers meet them in the first movie at the state dinner where Mia makes her first official appearance. Almost immediately, it's clear that they are hungry for the crown with the Baron even telling his Baroness that she is much more beautiful than Mia.
Also in attendance was the Genovian Prime Minister who made a speech in which he addresses the two characters, saying, "I would like to propose a toast to the Baroness and Baron von Troken. May you always be Baron." It's an impressive jab at the couple that is meant to address their title but has a deeper humor to it for those who know the other meanings hidden in its homophone barren. Hence, the meaning is pretty jarring since the Prime Minister wishes misfortune on them for their inability to have children.
"Rosencrantz, Guildenstern... Lenny, Squiggy."
Lily
The jokes in Princess Diaries: Royal Engagement were very different from those in the first movie with many of them being more in the face and substantially less hidden in the film's context. However, there were still a few that cut through with their more thought out nature, one being a recurring joke delivered by Mia's best friend Lily.
Lily was less discreet when it came to her annoyance with the princess' overbearing Lady's maids. At several points, Lily likened them to other chaotic duos like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and Lenny and Squiggy. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are two characters who try to foil the prince in Hamlet, while Lenny and Squiggy refer to a musical group in Laverne & Shirley. Both duos are known for frustrating other people, which makes the analogy to the maids all the more precise. They're pretty obscure references that even some older audiences may miss but will for sure go over the heads of most of the young audience.
"I've Done A Lot Of Flying In My Time."
Queen Clarisse
Mia's bachelorette party/royal sleepover was probably one of the most fun scenes in the sequel film with the international princesses, including Raven Symone as Princess Asana, all enjoying a bit of fun. It was only right for the queen to in with a hidden reference thrown in for the Julie Andrews fans.
Newer generations will probably associate Emily Blunt with Mary Poppins, but Julie Andrews will always be the original imaginative and high-flying English nanny. People who hold the 1964 film in high regard probably couldn't help but celebrate when they heard Andrews as Queen Clarisse say, "I've done a lot of flying in my time."
"I'll Tell Her What She Can Do With Her Eggs."
Lily
From Princess Diaries to Princess Diaries 2, Mia's best friend Lily went through quite the development. While her true friend status may have been questioned a bit with her jealousy of Mia in the first movie, she came through for her in the sequel and easily became a movie character that fans would love to be friends with.
When Mia and Chris Pine's character, Nicholas Devereaux, were caught in a compromising position on the eve of her wedding, Lily quickly went into best-friend mode against the Genovia gossip news reporter who had something to say. After the reporter signed off with "keep your eggs Sunnyside up," Lily replied, "I'll tell her what she can do with her eggs." She was cut off before she could continue, but older viewers knew exactly where that was going, especially as a metaphor for a female's reproductive system.
"Lovely On Our Postage Stamp."
Nicholas
Older dedicated fans usually are the ones who catch hidden references in movies whether they are from within the film franchise or outside the movie's universe. In a swoon worthy moment for Pine's less than princely character, he makes a reference back to a small moment in the first movie that only the most vigilant fans spotted.
In the first movie, Baron von Troken told his wife that when she became queen she would look lovely on a postage stamp. Apparently that is the highest form of flattery for Genovian royals because Nicholas said something incredibly similar about Mia, saying, "just think how lovely she'd look on our postage stamp." For a Disney movie without a prince charming, it still delivered all the charm needed in its male leads.
