Elinor Donahue Elinor Donahue is an American actress who played Federation Commissioner Nancy Hedford in , a second season episode of . She filmed her scenes between Thursday and Friday at Desilu Stage 10 . She is perhaps best remembered for her Emmy Award - nominated role as Betty " Princess " Anderson , the eldest daughter in the popular 1950s sitcom " Father Knows Best " . Fellow TOS guest actress Jane Wyatt ( Amanda Grayson ) portrayed her mother on this series . Born Mary Eleanor Donahue in Tacoma , Washington , she began working in radio and in vaudeville when she was only a child . At the age of 5 , she began appearing in minor roles in feature films . In 1950 , she appeared in " The Happy Years " , a comedy starring a young Dean Stockwell . That same year , she and her soon - to - be TV co - star Jane Wyatt were seen in the musical " My Blue Heaven " . Donahue also had roles in films such as " Three Daring Daughters " ( 1948 ) , " Tea for Two " ( 1950 ) , and " Love Is Better Than Ever " ( 1952 ) . In 1959 , she and Phyllis Douglas can be seen in the drama " Girls Town " . Donahue portrayed " Princess " Anderson for all six seasons of " Father Knows Best " , which ran from 1954 through 1960 . She is also known for recurring roles as Felix Unger ' s love interest , Miriam Welby , on " The Odd Couple " and as pharmacist Ellie Walker during the first season of " The Andy Griffith Show " . Donahue was among the recipients of the Legend Award that was given to " The Andy Griffith Show " by the TV Land Awards in 2004 . In 1977 , Donahue starred as the wife of Lawrence Pressman ' s Michael Mulligan in the NBC series " Mulligan ' s Stew " . Soap opera enthusiasts may remember her two - year stint of evil nurse Kate Honeycutt on " Days of Our Lives " and her brief role as Dr . Anderson on " Santa Barbara " ( starring Judith Anderson ) . She later played Chris Elliott ' s aloof mother on the cult 1990s FOX sitcom " Get a Life " and had a recurring role on " Dr . Quinn , Medicine Woman " ( with many other Star Trek " one timers " such as Chad Allen and Jason Leland Adams ) , portraying the title character ' s sister , Rebecca . Donahue also had brief recurring roles on " The Flying Nun " and " Coach " . In addition to her regular and recurring TV roles , Donahue has made guest appearances on shows such as " Have Gun – Will Travel " ( in an episode with Whit Bissell and Paul Fix ) , " The Virginian " ( in an episode directed by Don McDougall ) , " The Rookies " ( with Bert Remsen ) , " Petrocelli " ( starring Susan Howard and David Huddleston ) , " Barnaby Jones " ( starring Lee Meriwether ) , " Fantasy Island " ( starring Ricardo Montalban ) , " Happy Days " , " The Golden Girls " , and " Murder , She Wrote " ( with David Warner and William Windom ) . She more recently appeared in episodes of " Friends " , " Ellen " , and " Cold Case " . In the latter , she co - starred with Thomas Kopache . In the " Friends " episode " The One Where Nana Dies Twice " ( 09 : 43 ) she wears a Redshirt . Donahue has also continued acting in feature films , with appearances in the 1983 comedy " Going Berzerk " ( co - starring Rosalind Chao , Paul Dooley , Richard Libertini , and Kurtwood Smith ) , the 1990 hit " Pretty Woman " ( with Jason Alexander and Dey Young ) , and the 1991 horror sequel " Freddy ' s Dead : The Final Nightmare " ( co - written by Michael De Luca ) . Donahue also appeared in the 1995 made - for - TV movie " The Invaders " , starring Scott Bakula . She more recently played Lady Palimore in Disney ' s 2004 film " The Princess Diaries 2 : Royal Engagement " , starring Chris Pine and John Rhys - Davies . Donahue is the widow of television producer , to whom she had been married for nearly 29 years . They had three children together . She also has an older son from a previous marriage . Donahue married her third husband , contractor Louis Genevrino , in 1992 . In 1998 , Donahue published a memoir entitled " In the Kitchen with Elinor Donahue " , in which she relived some of her memories of Hollywood along with providing more than 150 of her own recipes .