Why Mandy Moore Fans Think She’s Hinting at a Princess Diaries 3 Cameo

Mandy Moore returning to The Princess Diaries franchise? Shut up!

The This Is Us star recently marked the 23^rd anniversary of the film—which starred Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews—on social media with a shoutout that had many wondering if she was subtly indicating she’ll return for the possible third installment.

“And just like that, #ThePrincessDiaries turns a year older and a year sweeter! What a gift,” Moore—who is currently pregnant with her and husband Taylor Goldsmith’s third baby—captioned a series of pics from the set. “And as I look through old photos, which brings back old memories, I realize how much I like the number 3.”

Given the rumblings of the third film in the franchise, the number three callout had fans hoping it meant they’d see more of her mean girl character Lana Thomas in the highly anticipated film.

"As in...you will be in the THIRD princess diaries movie??" one fan wrote. 

"Taylor Swift has trained my brain into looking for Easter eggs and there are so many rumors about a 3rd movie that I feel like you're trying to tell us something," another fan commented. 

However, the actress’ post featured a series of photos of herself in various trios, including on the A Walk to Remember and This Is Us sets. She also shared a photo of herself and husband Goldsmith with their son Gus, 3. (The duo, who are expecting a baby girl, are also parents to son Ozzie, 20 months.)

If she did return for Princess Diaries 3, it would be the first time fans have seen her in the series since the beloved 2001 film—loosely based on the book by Meg Cabot. Moore did not reprise her role in 2004’s The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement.  After all, the film traded in its San Francisco setting as Hathaway’s Mia prepares to succeed her grandmother (Andrews) and Queen of the fictional Genovia.

In the two decades since the sequel—which saw Chris Pine join the cast in his film debut—there has been much talk of a third film, though the project was put on hold following the 2016 death of original director Garry Marshall.

And while earlier this year, Andrews told TODAY.com, “sometimes it’s best to leave a good thing alone,” she noted she would be “very happy” if a third film was made. However, she added, “But I don’t expect to."

Many of the stars of The Princess Diaries have gone on to have impressive careers. Look back at some of their biggest transformations. 

The Princess of Genovia is all grown up. Since appearing in the Disney movie, Anne has earned rave reviews for her performances in Les Misérables, The Devil Wears Prada, The Dark Knight Rises, Ocean's Eight and more films. In her personal life, the actress is happily married to Adam Shulman and are both the proud parents to two kids. 

While her character wasn't beloved by Mia in The Princess Diaries, Mandy has maintained a huge fan base thanks to her singing career and Emmy-nominated role as Rebecca Pearson in NBC's hit series This Is Us.

She tied the knot musician Ryan Adams in 2008, but the pair divorced in 2016. She later wed musician Taylor Goldsmith in 2018, and the two now share sons August "Gus" Harrison (born February 2001) and Oscar "Ozzie" Bennett (born October 2022).

Bow down to Hollywood royalty. Ever since her role as Queen Clarisse Renaldi, the actress has appeared in family friendly flicks like Tooth Fairy, Ella Enchanted and the Shrek franchise. The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins star's legendary career also includes the title of best-selling author thanks to her assortment of children's books in The Very Fairy Princess series. 

And yes, you've definitely heard her voice recently. She's the voice of Bridgerton's one and only Lady Whistledown!

How can fans forget Mia's best friend Lilly, who not only had her own cable access TV show called Shut Up and Listen but also shut down Mia's haters. Today, the actress' career is still going strong with TV appearances on Grey's Anatomy and Exes & Ohs and roles in films like Hostel: Part II.

And, in November 2018, she married longtime girlfriend, comedian Heather Turman.

Vice Principal Gupta, the queen is coming! While her role in the film was brief, fans will never forget her iconic lines that brought laughs to the masses. Outside of the franchise, Sandra has been a fan-favorite on Grey's Anatomy and Killing Eve. Class dismissed!  

In 2003, the Emmy-nominated star married filmmaker Alexander Payne, but the two divorced in late 2006.

Fans will remember the actor for his role as Mia's loyal friend Michael Moscovitz both before and after she became a princess. After starring in the Disney film, Robert—who is the younger brother of Jason Schwartzman—became a recording artist and a director. 

How can we forget Mia's crush known as Josh Bryant? The actor went on to star in the short-lived sitcom Complete Savages in 2004, reprised his Toy Story role of Sid in all the sequels up to the 2010 film Toy Story 3 and did other voice-over and TV work. He has not been seen on screen since appearing on a 2008 episode of Bones.

He and his wife Angela Von Detten share three kids: daughter Claire (born May 2019) as well as sons Thomas (born March 2021) and Nicholas (born December 2022).