History Film / ThePrincessDiaries

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Mia gives a brief one to Lana after "coning" her.

** Lana has a good reason to be mad at Mia for (unwittingly) stealing her boyfriend in the books. Mia realizes this and apologizes.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar
** When Joe goes shopping.
--->'''Joe:''' Strange town, San Francisco. When I purchased the pumps, he asked if I wanted them wrapped or if I wanted to wear them.
** Also:
--->'''Clarisse:''' You have a cousin who's a Contessa, known fondly as Bartholomew. Actually, we call ''him'' Pookie.
** And:
---> '''Paolo:''' It was I who outed you. So to speak, I did not of course mean to imply...
** From the second one:
--->'''Mia:''' ''[about a potential husband]'' He's cute.\\
'''Joe:''' His boyfriend thinks he's handsome also.\\
'''Mia and Lilly:''' [[YaoiFangirl Right on!]]

* {{Hypocrite}}: Lilly in the first film hates the "A-Crowd" right up until she realizes Mia's A-crowd by birth. First she can't stand Mia's makeover until she learns Mia's a princess, and later she gives a list of reasons why Mia shouldn't be a princess, but since she's a princess anyway, would she mind coming on Lilly's show?

* {{Adorkable}}: Mia comes off as this in the first film with her awkwardness.

* MakeoverMontage: Mia is given a princess makeover.

* UptownGirl: Mia for Michael in the first film and Clarisse for Joe in the second. Both are particularly painful examples as Michael is already pretty close to Mia when he discovers she's royalty instead of an ordinary girl. Joe has been in love with Clarisse for years but has held back from saying anything because of her devotion to

* UptownGirl: Mia for Michael in the first film and Clarisse for Joe in the second. Both are particularly painful examples as Michael is already pretty close to Mia when he discovers she's royalty instead of an ordinary girl. Joe has been in love with Clarisse for years but has held back from saying anything because of her devotion to Genovia.

Unpopular high school student Amelia "Mia" Thermopolis (Hathaway) learns from her grandmother Clarisse (Andrews) that she's the princess of small European monarchy Genovia. Clarisse is currently serving as regent, but Mia will eventually have to rule. Mia struggles with her newfound status in every way, from learning royal manners, to navigating her high school (including managing her crush on popular guy Josh (Erik Van Detten) and dodging alpha cheerleader Lana (Music/MandyMoore)), to her longtime friendships with siblings Michael and Lilly (Creator/RobertSchwartzman and Creator/HeatherMatarazzo). Fortunately, along for the ride are security chief Joe (Creator/HectorElizondo) and her trusty cat Fat Louie.

--->'''Joe:''' Strange town San Francisco. When I purchased the pumps, he asked if I wanted them wrapped or if I wanted to wear them.

* {{Bowdlerise}}: In the books, Mia was a child born out of wedlock to two college grads with BelligerentSexualTension, and she becomes the heir by default when testicular cancer makes her father sterile. In the movies, her parents are divorced, with Helen [[SpecificallySuspiciousDenial denying that Grandmere made the divorce happen]], and Philippe having died in an accident years ago.

** Mia in the books is a dirty blonde, and has it cut short. Movie Mia is brunette with frizzy shoulder-length hair, which gets straightened during the MakeoverMontage.

** While Lily is still a massive SoapboxSadie, the movie toned her down a '''LOT'''. She's more loyal to Mia and is open about her GreenEyedMonster tendencies, namely that Mia can [[YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre create a lot of change with her status as a princess.]]

** In the second movie, Mia and [[spoiler: Michael]] had broke up, and Mia mentioned that they're now back to "just friends".

** The second comes at the beach. While getting hounded by the paparazzi isn't treated as funny, it's still played light-heartedly. When Lana and her GirlPosse expose her getting changed, any humour the scene may have had goes away with Mia (who is ''fifteen'')'s panicked "go away, all of you!".

* {{Foil}}: Josh and Michael, the romantic leads in the first film (neither of whom is relevant in the second). Josh is blonde, popular (when he tries, he can be a fairly charismatic speaker, like during the debate scene; mostly he's just an idiot, like his "Be the Ball" speech during [=PE=] class), and a showboat. Michael is brunet, plays keyboard in a garage band (the fangirls mostly show up for the guitarist), remains quiet and low-key, but has actual talent. A good comparison scene is during the band class, where Michael is playing piano and Josh is sitting right beside him: Michael has his head down, focusing on the keys, while Josh is hamming it up beside him, pretending to play the piano with his hands flying around dramatically.

* {{Jerkass}} Lana, her posse, and Josh.
* JerkassHasAPoint:
** Lana has a good reason to be mad at Mia for (unwittingly) stealing her boyfriend in the books. Mia realizes this and apologizes.

* RunawayBride: Played straight in the climax where [[spoiler: Mia decides not to marry Andrew for the sake of Genovia, much to his relief since he didn't particularly want to marry her either]].

* ShipTease: Lily and the leader of the Royal Guard Band in the sequel. [[spoiler: He even goes as far as to ask if he could call her in California, and she slips him her business card.]]

* ShutUpHannibal: "Lily, just because your hair sucks, get off mine"

* WhyWasteAWedding: Played straight in the sequel [[spoiler: when Mia and Andrew call off their wedding at the altar, Mia convinces Clarisse and Joe to ''finally'' tie the knot. The former sheepishly says "you were all dressed" to the confused wedding guests.]]
* YouDoNotWantToKnow: Mia to Clarisse twice over, with the second instance acting as a CallBack.

* AdvertisedExtra: Creator/RavenSymone as Asana in the sequel.

* BigShutUp: Mia says this when Queen Clarisse tells her that she is a princess.
-->'''Mia:''' Me, a princess? SHUT. UP!\\

** Listen carefully and it ''may'' also be a LastSecondWordSwap for something else beginning with 'Sh..,' that isn't appropriate to say in front of your grandmother.

-->'''Clarisse:''' Shut up!
-->'''Mia:''' Grandma said 'shut up'? ''Shut up!''

** A little less harsh than the previous example, there is a moment near the beginning of the first film where Mia accidentally breaks off one of the fingers of a porcelain statue in the embassy. She tries to hide it by putting the finger in the statue's mouth. Later on, at the grand ball, two officials are admiring the statue and pondering whether or not the item in the statue's mouth is string cheese.
*** In the second film you see the same officials wonder if there will be string cheese at Mia's birthday.

* TheCameo: Freakin' Creator/StanLee in the sequel. [[HilariousInHindsight And that was before anyone even thought about the idea of Disney buying Marvel]]. Creator/SophiaLoren also cameos in the birthday party scene.

** The second comes at the beach. While getting hounded by the paparazzi isn't treated as funny, it's still played light-heartedly. When Lana and her GirlPosse expose her getting changed, any humour the scene may have had goes away with Mia's panicked "go away, all of you!" - and with the FridgeHorror that this is a 15-year-old girl the photographers are trying to get nude pictures of.

* FictionalCountry: Genovia

-->'''Joe:''' Strange town San Francisco. When I purchased the pumps, he asked if I wanted them wrapped or if I wanted to wear them.

-->'''Clarisse:''' You have a cousin who's a Contessa, known fondly as Bartholomew. Actually, we call ''him'' Pookie.

--> '''Paolo:''' It was I who outed you. So to speak, I did not of course mean to imply...

-->'''Mia:''' ''[about a potential husband]'' He's cute.
-->'''Joe:''' His boyfriend thinks he's handsome also.
-->'''Mia and Lilly:''' [[YaoiFangirl Right on!]]

-->'''Paolo:''' Do you wear contact lenses?\\

-->'''Lilly:''' ''Who -destroyed- you?''

* ImagineSpot: In a borderline BigLippedAlligatorMoment, after discussing FootPopping, Mia has an ImagineSpot where a foot attempts to pop but fails due to her shoe being stuck to a piece of gum.

** Michael, Lilly's older brother.

* OhCrap: [[{{Camp}} Paolo]] lets out a small shriek upon seeing [[HollywoodHomely Mia]] for the first time.

* [[RunawayBride RunawayCouple]]: Played straight in the climax where [[spoiler: Mia decides not to marry Andrew for the sake of Genovia, much to his relief since he didn't particularly want to marry her either]].

-->''I kept your royal secret, and do you know how hard it is to keep a secret when you have a cable show?''

* PrinceCharming: Andrew Jacoby from the sequel is a duke, not a prince, but fits the part in all other aspects. He's an {{Oxbridge}}-educated NiceGuy who does volunteer work and photography, has experience as a military pilot, and is apparently a champion swimmer.