The Princess Diaries series outlines the possibilities for better female-led rom-coms and though the films are quite widely popular even with millennial and Gen-Z viewers, there are many things that still don’t add up, specifically about the films’ heroine Princess Mia.
When Mia is introduced, she’s a socially awkward teen who discovers that she’s actually the heir to the throne of a small European country and she eventually grows into a confident woman who’s ready to claim the throne of Genovia only to be challenged by an archaic law that prevents an unmarried woman from ascending the throne. These are just a few things that don’t make sense about Mia’s trajectory leading up to her coronation.
Her Ignorance Of Her Own Background
How can Mia be so oblivious about her own personal history and her roots, that too in the media age? Not only was Mia ignorant about her royal lineage but didn’t even know that her grandmother (or Grandmere in the books) was the reigning queen. This was perhaps the biggest plothole in the entire series because her grandmum was a famous woman.
And her son, the next in line to the throne, had a child living in San Francisco, so it’s impossible that Mia would never have come across press clippings, news interviews, or even talk about her own family, even if her mum tried very hard to hide it from her. In the book, Phillipe tells Mia about who she is when she was a teen, but the film handles it rather sloppily.
Her Private Schooling
Mia went to a posh private Grove High School in San Francisco and it’s unlikely that her education was being funded by her mother who was an artist. In the book, clearly, Phillipe funded Mia’s education and actually came up with the Thermopolis-Renaldo Compromise which allowed Mia to continue her schooling in America but required her to spend summer and winter breaks in Genovia and perform other duties for the crown, along with lessons from her grandmum.
But the film states that Mia’s father was estranged, and it’s unlikely that her headstrong mum was accepting child support from him or his family, despite the fact that they were royals. So, how did Mia’s mum afford to send her to a private school, that too in a city like San Francisco?
Her Secret Identity
It’s quite outrageous that the media in the early 2000s wouldn't have a clue that the child of a European monarch was living in America. It’s important to note that Phillipe’s relationship with Helen was not exactly a secret to the people in his country and clearly the fact that he had a daughter living in American would be common knowledge in Genovia and would be the subject of many tabloid pieces in the USA as well.
Just imagine if a descendant of the Spanish royal family was being brought up in a major city like New York or Miami, that would certainly be news. It’s quite sad that the film does away with certain realities of modern living just for the sake of a convenient narrative. It's just hard to accept the fact that neither Mia nor anyone in her city had any inkling.
Her Makeover
The entire attempt to prove that a haircut could drastically make someone worthy of a throne or a better public speaker is quite ridiculous. Mia is able to shed almost all of her inner ‘ugly duckling’ anxieties just because she ditches her glasses and relaxed her difficult hair. The movie’s shallow effort of what a makeover can do for a woman has been panned, especially by millennial audiences who have found the makeover quite ridiculous.
The fact is, there’s no way that the socially awkward and clumsy Mia became a different person just because she changed her hair. It definitely helped her come out of her shell and made her less self-conscious but it couldn’t have possibly transformed her.
Her Princess Wardrobe
Mia’s royal wardrobe was quite a disappointment for the fans. Mia is the interesting American, the outsider who’s supposed to be fun and rebellious and change the course of Genovia's monarchy. But she opts for the most old school, boring, and rather conservative picks when it comes to her personal styling.
It's odd because her pre-royal fashion was quirky and individualistic. One can’t be that frivolous with their fashion when they’re royal and Mia was trying very hard to be taken seriously in Princess Diaries 2, but that still doesn’t explain why she would always choose boring tweed jackets, solid pastel coat dresses, and plain separates if they don’t go with her personality in any way.
Her Eligibility
It’s important to note that Mia’s ascension to the throne of Genovia is all thanks to some very unfair nepotism because it becomes very clear that she’s not a good ruler. Sure, she’s kind and good-natured and wants to help people. But monarchy is actually the ultimate governing body in Genovia, unlike in Britain, for instance, where the royals have very little power. Both Mia’s grandmum and her father had proven to be solid rulers and Mia was a total outsider, freshly out of her teens who had very little knowledge about Genovia’s history and culture.
She was obviously not a good choice for a ruler, and it makes no sense that the members of the Genovian government would allow this to happen, even if she got married which was a constitutional requirement for female rulers.
Her Decision To Agree To An Arranged Marriage
The very fact that Mia would agree to marry a complete stranger for a throne she didn’t even know existed until a few years back, is a major flaw in her character design.
It’s possible that in the events between Princess Diaries 1 and 2, Mia became attached to Genovia, but marrying someone at the early age of 21 just to abide by some archaic law is not something the free-spirited Mia would do. Although she didn’t actually go through with it, she was serious about marrying Andrew for a long time.
Her Lack Of Options For A Groom
Would Mia have no say over the people who get shortlisted to be her prospective groom? To put things in perspective, Mia is set to be the ruler of a European monarchy, she could have her pick of the famous and successful men from across the world, any number of them would want to marry a young royal.
Although her family wanted her to go for someone titled, wouldn’t Mia put her foot down and consider adding more worldly men to the list? She was already marrying rather unwillingly, why wouldn’t she at least tell her family that she wants to go for the kind of men she finds interesting?
She Became A Doormat
In Princess Diaries, Mia is a directionless teen who’s just coming to terms with her identity as a royal but in the sequel, Mia has a much better grasp of who she is and what her role entails. And though being a monarch does require some sacrifices why did Mia become so docile and doormat-ish especially when it came to the biggest decisions of her life?
She was the rightful heir to the throne, surely she had some sort of power or hold over her own life. Even if she didn't, why wouldn’t the headstrong and individualist Mia stand up for her own rights, be it about her marriage or about her royal duties? Mia simply seemed to have no opinion of her own pertaining to her own life.
Her Decision To Dump Andrew At The Altar
What Mia did to Andrew was actually quite horrible. If tables were turned and Mia was dumped, Andrew would surely be painted as the bad guy. But what’s shocking about Mia’s decision to split from the good-natured Andrew is that their marriage wasn’t entirely last-minute, she had many weeks to mull the proposal over.
One could see why Mia felt it was unfair that she had to marry just to inherit a throne that’s rightfully hers but dumping Andrew so publicly with the world watching was a really horrible move. She could have at least broken things off before they made it down the altar.