The Princess Diaries

**The Princess Diaries** is the first volume of the series of the same name by Meg Cabot.

It was released in 2000.

## Book Description

She's just a New York City girl living with her artist mom…

**NEWS FLASH:** Dad is prince of Genovia. (So that's why a limo meets her at the airport!)

**DOWNER:** Dad can't have any more kids. (So there's no heir to the throne.)

**SHOCK OF THE CENTURY:** Like it or not, Mia Thermopolis is prime princess material.

**THE WORST PART:** Mia must take princess lessons from her dreaded Grandmère, the dowager princess of Genovia, who thinks Mia has a thing or two to learn before she steps up to the throne. Well, her father can lecture her until he's royal–blue in the face about her princessly duty—no way is she moving to Genovia and leaving Manhattan behind. But what's a girl to do when her name is PRINCESS AMELIA MIGNONETTE GRIMALDI THERMOPOLIS RENALDO?

## Opening Quote

*"Whatever comes," she said, "cannot alter one thing. If I am a princess in rags and tatters, I can be a princess inside. It would be easy to be a princess if I were dressed in cloth of gold, but it is a great deal more of a triumph to be one all the time when no one knows it." A Little Princess,* Francis Hodgson Burnett

## Timeline

Begins on Tuesday, September 23, 2003 and concludes on Sunday, October 19, 2003 (these dates imply that the book takes place in 2003, though this is not directly stated) and occurs during Mia's freshman year.

## Plot Summary

Helen Thermopolis gives her fourteen year old daughter, Mia, a diary to keep her feelings in, as she feels Mia cannot discuss them with her. Mia cannot believe her mother is going out with her algebra teacher, Mr. Gianini, out of all the men in New York. Mia is terrorized at school by a fellow freshman, Lana, who is popular and on the cheerleading squad who is also dating a senior named Josh Richter, who is the hottest guy in school and whom Mia has a crush on. Mia spends time at her best friend Lilly's house with Lilly and her older brother Michael, who is a senior. Michael flirts with Mia, but she doesn't realize until Lilly points it out later. Mia admits to herself (but not Lilly) that she finds Michael attractive.

Mia's father, who lives in Europe, calls, and Mia assumes that something is wrong and that her grandmother has died. Mia's mother tells her that she needs to meet with her father because he has been rendered infertile due to his testicular cancer and chemotherapy treatments. Mia meets with her father at the Plaza and he tells her he is the Prince of Genovia. Her father explains that because she is now the sole heir to the throne of Genovia that she must move there and learn to be a princess so that she can take over his duties if he dies. She is no longer just Mia Thermopolis: she is Princess Amelia Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldo, Mia cries at this information and flees for the Central Park Zoo. She eventually returns home and is surprised she is not in any trouble. The next morning she had forgotten about her whole ordeal at the Plaza until she wakes up and her father is in her and her mother's apartment. Helen tries to convince Mia to go to Genovia, which makes Mia feel unwanted. Hoping to delay the conversation further, Mia decides to spend the night at the Moscovitz's to help Lilly film a segment of her show, *Lilly Tells It Like It Is*. When her mother says no, Mia goes anyway.

Mia notes that she always has a good time at the Moscovitz's even though there isn't anything inherently more fun about there apartment than hers. She and Lilly and Michael stay up late talking about who they'd choose to repopulate the earth with if it was the end of the world, and Mia's crush on Josh Richter is revealed to Michael. The next morning Mia is forced to return home when Lilly, thinking her parents have already left, announces her plans to aggravate her stalker on her next episode, prompting her parents to stay home and analyze her need to antagonize him.

Mia and her father agree to a compromise, wherein Mia is allowed to stay and finish school at AEHS, though she must come to Genovia for summer and winter breaks, while Mia must promise to fulfill her duties as princess, including one day assuming the throne and attending functions of state.

Mia, still failing Algebra, attempts to cheat, and immediately feels guilty. However it is too late and she is forced to wear the shoes she wrote the quadratic formula on to school, and she ends up looking. It makes no difference as she fails the quiz anyway.

Grandmère comes to live at the Plaza to give Mia princess lessons. She is immediately critical of Mia, including her shoes with writing on them. Grandmère tells Mia that when she comes the next day she must be wearing pantyhose, proper shoes, have her nails painted, fix her hair, and wear makeup. She waits until after school to change and apply makeup, hoping no one will see her, but Michael catches her. She tells him not to tell Lilly and goes to meet her grandmother.

Lilly wants Mia to help her film an episode of LTILIS about Ho's Deli, who she says engage in racism by giving a discount to Asian students. Because Mia must meet with her grandmother she cannot go, which upsets Lilly. When Mia goes to meet with Grandmère, however, she is taken to a salon and given a full makeover and new wardrobe. Nearly all of her hair is cut off and died, into a short blonde pixie cut and she has acrylic nails applied. Mia is furious as she feels Grandmère is trying to change who she is and she tells her father she will no longer go along with it. Phillipe offers to pay her for it, so she can consider it a job, and Mia yells at him that it isn't about money and she has more personal integrity than to allow herself to be paid to change everything about her. Phillipe offers to donate $100 a day to Greenpeace, which Mia accepts, as at least the money will be going to something worthwhile.

However, when Lilly sees Mia's makeover she cannot help but be judgemental. Lilly tells Mia off for not standing up to Grandmère and Mia tells Lilly to Shut Up (for the first time in their friendship) and that she already has her mom, dad, teachers, and grandmother telling her what to do and she doesn’t need her friends on her case also. Lilly asks what her problem is and Mia says she is not the one with a problem, Lilly is and that she going to solve it by leaving - adding as she goes that the Hos are nice people and she doesn’t want to help with Ho-Gate anyway. Michael witnesses this fight and is surprised. Later he IM's her to ask if she's okay and offers to help her with her algebra homework in Gifted and Talented class, which they have together.

Thinking that Mia was spending the night at Lilly's, Helen has Mr. G stay the night, and the next morning Mia comes in and sees him in her kitchen in his boxers. Helen makes up an obvious lie about Mr. G missing the train, which Mia chooses to believe for her own sanity.

On Monday, Lilly is not waiting to be picked up by the limo Mia's father insists she take (driven by his bodyguard) and at lunch Mia is nervous about where to sit, eventually asking Tina Hakim Baba if she can sit with her, as no one else does, due to Tina having a bodyguard who follows her around everywhere, which causes everyone to perceive her as a freak. Tina buys Mia an ice cream cone for being so nice. When Lana comes over and mocks Tina for having to buy friends, Mia impulsively shoves the ice cream cone into Lana's chest, which results in her being sent to the principal's office and being given a weeks detention. Rather than punish her further, Mia's family is furious at the school.

At school on Tuesday, Tina invites Mia to spend the night at her house that Friday, and Shameeka informs her that Lilly is going to the Cultural Diversity Dance on Saturday with the violinist from the Gifted and Talented class named Boris, who Mia finds unattractive and annoying.

The next day Mia is surprised when Josh Richter asks how she is doing and notices all the students reading something. She is later shuffled to Principal Gupta's office and informed that she has been outed as a princess and is on the cover of the New York Post, her detentions are cancelled. As a result of the article, Lars is assigned to follow her to all her classes as a bodyguard, just as Wahim must do for Tina. At lunch Lana tells Mia to ditch Tina and come sit with her friends. Mia refuses and continues to sit with Tina. The revelation that Mia is a princess only seems to make Lilly angrier and further drive the wedge, though Michael comes to Mia's defense. Michael seems to drop hints about asking Mia to the Cultural Diversity Dance, but Mia thinks he is going to ask her to study and avoids him.

Mia tells her father she would like to transfer schools or just move to Genovia, when he refuses she says she is going to quit being a princess. Phillipe points out that with the article being published it's too late to back out. Mia cries in the car and Lars gives her a handkerchief. Her parents are both furious about the article, Phillipe believing Mr. G leaked the story, while Helen believes it was Grandmère. Grandmère herself does not understand why everyone is so upset.

To make dealing with the paparazzi more worthwhile, Mia pins all of her Greenpeace and environmental buttons to her backpack and wears her combat boots to school. The paparazzi causes major distractions at school. At lunch, Lana and Josh and their friends join Mia and Tina and their bodyguards. Lana mocks Mia for not drinking, but Josh says he respects her decision. Mia begins to think he might like her. Grandmère takes credit for Josh liking Mia, and Mia realizes that Grandmère was the one that informed the paparazzi she is a princess.

Josh and Lana break up that evening and Lana spend the next day at school crying a crossing *Mrs. Josh Richter* off of her notebook, where she had written it everywhere. Not long after, Josh asks Mia to be his date to the Cultural Diversity Dance on Saturday. Mia is thrilled and accepts. Lilly judges her as she believes Josh is on the rebound, but Tina is happy for her. Grandmère makes appointments for Mia to get a dress. Mia has a good time at Tina's at the sleepover as they talk about getting ready for the dance and she gets to see more about Tina's life - where she is more bubbly and talkative, as opposed to school where she is quiet.

When Mr. G, Helen, and Phillipe discover Josh has asked Mia to the dance they try to stop her from going with him, but Grandmère appears at the loft, chastising Phillipe over the phone in French, and when Mia goes to get her coat says something to Helen and Mr. G that causes them to blush and look embarrassed. Mia ends up with a beautiful pale blue dress that she thinks makes her look like a beautiful icicle, and she is assured icicles are In.

Josh is late to pick her up, but flatters her mother and jokes with her father. Josh gives her a corsage that was clearly intended for Lana as it does not match Mia's dress. Lars offers to drive so Josh and Mia can talk in the backseat, but after a few words they have nothing else to say to each other and ride in awkward silence until they arrive at Tavern on the Green, where unbeknownst to Mia all of Josh's friends and their dates are waiting. Josh orders bottles of champagne and filet mignon for everyone, not noticing that Mia does not touch her steak and instead hoards all the bread and salad. After more champagne Josh grabs her knee a few times under the table. Mia notices that he smells strongly of cologne and it isn't as pleasant as how Michael smells - like soap.

When they arrive at the dance (an hour late, to Mia's chagrin) there are reporters everywhere. Josh gets Mia out of the car, against Lars' wishes, and pulls her up the steps then stops, and at the urging of the paparazzi, plants a forceful kiss on Mia outside the doors to the school. He then waves to the reporters and pulls Mia inside, where all of AEHS is staring at them. Mia confronts Josh inside and he is confused as to why she is upset. Mia realizes he just likes her because she is princess, and he says he really does like her. Mia says he doesn't even know her as he ordered her steak for dinner, which causes all her friends nearby to gasp. Josh is even more confused and says “Is that a crime?” Lilly points out that Mia is a vegetarian, Josh says “Oops” and asks if Mia wants to dance. Mia turns to walk away from him and Josh says “Jesus it was just a kiss!” Mia turns back and says “It wasn’t just a kiss, maybe that how you wanted it to look, like it was just a kiss. But you and I both know what it really was: A media event. And one that you’ve been planning since you saw me in the Post. Well, thank you, Josh, but I can get my own publicity. I don’t need you.” And heads toward the bathroom. Lilly and Tina follow her in and tell her to come hang out with them. Mia is concerned that she will be the odd man out as all her friends have date, but Lilly tells her that Michael came to the dance and he doesn't have a date either.

Michael asks Mia if she's ok and they talk about Star Trek with their friends during the fast songs. Mr. G comes over and tells Mia she has raised her grade in algebra from an F to a D, Mia credits Michael's tutoring. When a slow song comes on Michael asks her to dance. Mia gives Lilly exclusive rights to her first interview on LTILIS, as long as Lilly promises to ask her about her thoughts on the meat industry. A story breaks about the war in the middle east, ensuring Mia will not be on the front page, and Mia calls her mom to ask if she can stay the night at the Moscovitzs' apartment. Once there, Michael tells Mia that he has been learning a guitar, and plays her a song he wrote, called Tall Drink of Water, about a tall, pretty girl who doesn't know a boy is in love with her.

The next morning Mia tells her family what happened at the dance, and as she walks Grandmère to her car they see the Blind Guy who feels up women who help them cross the street. Grandmère is horrified Mia will not help him cross, and Mia, not believing he would feel up an old woman, let's Grandmère help him. When the Blind Guy feels Grandmère after she helps him, she hits him in the face with her purse so hard it knocks his sunglasses off, revealing he is not even blind. Mia returns inside to work on her algebra homework, happy at how her weekend turned out.