She’s quiet, always picked on, and never fights back. The other students see her as weak until one moment changes everything. When they finally find out who she really is, the bullies go silent, and the whole school sees her in a way they never imagined.

‘SPOILER ALERT’

After a girl named Mia leaves her room to head to school, her mom Helen, asks if she feels confident about giving a speech in her class debate later that day. Mia doesn’t feel ready, but her mom gives her some tips and tells her not to look at the crowd. Shortly after, Mia gets to school and appears to be one of the least popular students, who often feels invisible.

She eventually meets her best friend, Lilly, and they head to their class together. After a while, the debate competition begins, and a boy named Josh, who happens to be Mia’s crush, impresses the crowd with his affirmative stance on the topic. Before Mia is called on stage, she starts doubting herself, but Lilly encourages her.

Almost immediately, the teacher, Mr. O’Connell, calls Mia to oppose the topic. As Mia climbs the stage, she gets nervous and hears Josh’s girlfriend, Lana, insulting her hair. Unfortunately, Mia can’t bring herself to say anything, and she suddenly feels the urge to vomit. She then runs out of the class while everyone laughs at her. Later that day, Mia goes to the rock gym where she works.

Helen visits her there and says that she heard how the debate went. Mia says she doesn’t want to remember what happened, but Helen mentions that she’ll speak to Mr O’Connell to straighten things out with him. Mia says she’s not sure she’ll ever be good at public speaking, and that she might eventually be a mime.

Just then, Helen mentions that Mia’s grandmother, Clarisse, called her recently. Mia sounds surprised, and Helen reminds her that Clarisse lives in a country called Genovia. Mia looks confused because Clarisse has never called before, and she asks what her grandmother wants.

Helen says that Clarisse is in town, and she wants to have tea with her granddaughter. Mia doesn’t get this, and as she starts her rock-climbing session with Helen, she asks if Clarisse was the one who made her parents get divorced. Helen says that even though Clarisse didn’t approve of their relationship, the decision to get divorced was made by her and Mia’s late father, Philippe.

Mia still wonders why she has to go and see a woman who barely calls them, but Helen encourages her to go because Clarisse is her dad’s mom. She adds that Clarisse told her that Philippe always hoped that Mia would meet his mom one day. Following this, Mia agrees to meet Clarisse and hear what she has to say.

The next day, during music class, Lilly asks if Mia can help her with something after school, but she says she has a meeting with her grandmother. Later that day, Mia heads to Clarisse’s address and uses the intercom beside the gate to inform security that she’s there to see her grandmother. After she’s allowed to enter the premises, Mia heads into a building where her bag is checked by a man at the entrance.

Following this, she’s told to sit in the lobby to wait for Clarisse. As Mia wonders where she is, a lady named Charlotte from the Genovian Attache Corps comes over to greet her. Mia then asks where she is, and Charlotte mentions that she’s at the Genovian Consulate.

As she tells Mia that her grandmother will be with her shortly, Clarisse shows up, and the guards in the room immediately stand up from their seats. Clarisse then says it’s nice to see that Mia came to visit her. Mia says she has a lovely house, and Clarisse tells Charlotte to get the tea ready in the garden.

Mia then asks what Clarisse wants to talk about, but before she goes straight to the point, she gives her granddaughter a locket with the crest of Genovia. Mia thanks her for the gift, and Clarisse tells her granddaughter to keep it safe because it means so much to her. Following this, they head out to the garden, and Clarisse tells Mia that Philippe was the Prince of Genovia.

Mia thinks she’s joking, but Clarisse says she’s serious. She adds that Mia is the princess of Genovia, and that since her dad is dead, she’s the new heir. Mia looks shocked and cannot believe this, but Clarisse says she can rule Genovia because she’s a royal by blood.

Mia still finds this surprising, but Clarisse keeps talking about how she’ll have to move to Genovia and learn to be a princess. Mia says she doesn’t want any of that, and she runs away from the table. Clarisse looks disappointed, but her head of security, Joe, tells her that Mia probably needs more time. Clarisse then tells Joe to stay close to her and be her driver. Even though Joe doesn’t seem happy about this, he agrees to do it.

When Mia gets home, she complains to Helen and asks why her mom never told her about her dad’s royal background. Helen says it was to protect everyone, but Mia doesn’t get this. Helen then explains that it was one of the reasons she and Philippe got divorced because she didn’t see herself becoming a queen whose only job would be to follow the King around.

She adds that after the divorce, she, Clarisse, and Philippe agreed to keep Mia far away from the Royal Family’s business until she turned 18. She then mentions that things changed after Philippe’s death. Mia still thinks Helen should’ve told her something, and she says that people will only see her as a freak with a tiara.

Helen doesn’t know what else to say, and she leaves Mia’s room. The next morning, Clarisse shows up at the house with her limo. While talking to Helen, Clarisse says that Philippe was ready to be king until he died in an accident. She then mentions that if Mia refuses to be a princess, Genovia will cease to exist as they know it. Helen can’t believe that the future of Genovia lies in the hands of her 15-year-old daughter, but Clarisse says she can’t wait until Mia turns 18 to teach her everything she needs to know.

Just then, Mia comes down from her room, but as she sees Clarisse, she says she’s going back to bed. Before she leaves, Helen tells her to wait because the three of them have to talk. Mia says she doesn’t have anything to say to them, but Helen tells her to at least listen to her grandmother. Just then, Clarisse mentions that she’s hoping to introduce Mia to the press and public at Genovia’s Annual Independence Day Ball. Mia still doesn’t sound interested in becoming a princess, and she heads to her room.

Helen and Clarisse follow her there to try to convince her to change her mind, but Mia hides in the ceiling and insists that she has other things to do. As Clarisse mentions that she has a meeting to attend, Helen says she wouldn’t mind letting Mia take the princess lessons as long as she won’t have to make a decision on whether to accept or reject her title before the ball. Mia seems happy with this deal, and Clarisse agrees to wait for her decision while she continues her lessons on how to be a princess.

However, Clarisse says they mustn’t tell anyone about it because she doesn’t want the press to know that Mia is a princess. As they leave the house together, Mia tells Clarisse about the Mustang that Helen is getting her for her 16th birthday. Clarisse says it’s not a sensible car for a princess, and Mia also complains that it doesn’t move fast.

After this, Clarisse introduces Mia to Joe and says that he’ll be driving her around in a limo. Mia looks amazed by this, and as they leave the house, she asks Joe if he can remove the flags in front of the limo. Joe then says he can’t remove the flags because they allow him to park anywhere.

After a while, they get to Lilly’s house, and she looks shocked that her friend arrived in a limo. She asks if they’re going to a wedding, but Mia says it’s just a surprise ride. As they enter the car together, Lilly keeps asking about the limo, and Mia says that her long-lost grandmother showed up with it and wants her to use it.

Mia then tells Joe to park a block away from school so that she won’t attract unnecessary attention because of the limo. Later that day, at school, as Mia heads to the field for baseball practice, Lana and her friends make fun of her for how the debate ended the other day. Mia looks embarrassed by this, and she just walks away.

During baseball practice, Mia struggles to play well, and she ends up accidentally throwing the ball at the coach. After school, Lilly tells Mia that she has a date with her dad, even though they barely have anything to talk about. Mia says that at least Lilly still has a dad who is alive, and her friend asks if she still hasn’t gotten over Philippe.

Mia says he’s her dad, but Lilly believes he wasn’t there for her friend. She adds that all he ever did was send her presents and birthday cards for fifteen years without ever showing up to see her. Mia says the presents were nice, and that Philippe also paid for her school tuition.

They eventually stop talking about their dads, and Mia says she has to go and see Lilly’s brother, Michael, about her Mustang. Shortly after, Mia gets to a mechanic workshop where Michael is practicing with his band. Mia then goes to meet the owner of the workshop, Doctor Motors, to ask about her Mustang. Doctor Motors says it will cost Mia four hundred dollars to get the Mustang fixed, and she looks shocked. Michael then mentions that he can do some free labor to get the cost reduced.

Mia thanks him for this, but she says he doesn’t have to worry because she’ll tell her grandmother about the cost. After she leaves, Doctor Motors makes fun of Michael for offering to work for free because he has a crush on Mia. The next day, Mia starts going to the Genovian Consulate for her princess lessons.

Despite her busy schedule, Clarisse spares some time to teach Mia how to walk and sit like a princess. Joe also teaches her how to dance, and Mia starts spending less time with Lilly, who starts wondering why she always has to visit her grandmother every day. Much later, Clarisse hires a hairstylist named Paolo to give Mia a makeover.

After he’s through, Mia looks very different, and Paolo looks proud of his work. Clarisse also admires Mia and says that her granddaughter looks much better. The next day, Mia’s limo arrives at Lilly’s house, and Michael decides to join the girls on their ride to school. As he opens the door, he sees Mia and looks amazed. Lilly also sees her friend but reacts differently from her brother.

As she asks who destroyed her friend, Mia asks if it’s that bad, and Lilly says she looks ridiculous. Michael still thinks Mia looks attractive, and as they enter the car, Lilly sees Mia’s expensive bag and criticizes her for owning something so pricey when the money could be used for better things. Mia feels sad about this, and as she sheds a tear, Joe sees this through the rearview mirror.

After Joe drops them off, he tells Mia that he saw when she cried in the car. Mia says she’s fine, but Joe mentions that no one can make her feel inferior without her consent. As Mia walks to school, she puts on a hat to cover her hair, and Lilly complains about this again.

Mia then tells Lilly that just because her hair looks bad doesn’t mean she has to insult hers. Michael likes this, but as Lilly complains about how he’s always supporting Mia, he walks away. Lilly then confronts Mia about what she said.

Mia says she’s just tired of Lilly scolding her since she already gets enough of it from her mom and grandmother. Lilly says she knows that Mia is hiding something, and that she doesn’t think they’re friends anymore. As she says she’ll throw their friendship charm away, Mia stops her and confesses that she’s a princess.

Lilly is shocked by this, but she looks happy for her friend. As Lilly asks if she can come to her cable show, Mia says she can’t tell anyone about her royal status yet. Lilly then promises to keep it a secret, and the girls head to school together.

In class, Lana complains to O’Connell about Mia’s hat being against school rules. O’Connell agrees with this and tells Mia to take it off. As she does this, everyone looks shocked to see her new look. Lana and her friends also try to make fun of her, but Lilly defends Mia and says that she loves her friend’s hair. Later that day. Mia heads to the Consulate, and Clarisse teaches her how to talk in public and wave to the crowd while they’re in a car.

The next day, as Mia walks to school with Michael, he invites her to come and watch his band’s rehearsal on Saturday. Mia asks if he’s asking her out on a date, but he denies this even though it’s what he wants. As she agrees to come, Lilly shows up and joins them on their walk to school.

On their way, they see a lot of press officials in front of the school. They look confused and wonder what’s happening, but as they get closer, one of the photographers mentions that they’re there for the Princess. Mia is shocked by this, and she asks if Lilly told someone about her being a princess.

Lilly says she didn’t, and Mia is taken into the school by the teachers. She eventually meets with the vice principal, Gupta, who shows her a newspaper article about her being the princess. Mia is shocked by this, but she’s told that her mom is already on her way to the school.

Gupta also receives a call, informing her that the Queen is coming to see Mia. Shortly after, Clarisse arrives with Joe, and they quickly head to Gupta’s office, where they meet Helen and Mia. As Clarisse says they’ll find out who exposed Mia, Joe brings Paolo into the office, and the hairstylist confesses that he was the one who gave the information to someone in the press because he wanted people to see Mia’s makeover.

Clarisse eventually tells Joe to take Paolo away, and Helen complains about how Mia was a normal girl just days ago. Clarisse says that Mia was never a normal girl, and that she was born a royal. She adds that the royal family copes with the press daily, and they’ll have to do it again. Helen tells Mia that she doesn’t have to accept her role as a princess, and Clarisse agrees with her. Mia then says she’ll think about it and let them know her decision later.

A while later, Lilly tells Mia that she’s now the most popular girl in school, and that everyone wants to be her best friend. Lilly then mentions that she already has a few reasons why her friend shouldn’t be a princess, but Mia says she doesn’t want to talk about it. Lilly still asks if Mia will be a guest on her cable show on Saturday night, and she says she will.

Lilly then thanks Mia before leaving her alone with Joe. As Mia thinks about being a princess, she asks Joe if she can’t just reject the title. Joe says she can only reject the job, but that she’ll always be a princess.

Mia asks how she’ll know if she’ll make a good princess, and Joe says she won’t know without trying. He then tells her about an upcoming fancy dinner, which Clarisse believes Mia will be ready to attend. Days later, Mia attends the dinner and meets Genovia’s Prime Minister, Motaz, and his family.

A baron named Siegfried also attends the dinner with his wife, and it turns out that he’s actually hoping Mia rejects her title as a princess, so he can take over Genovia since Clarisse has no other heir. During the dinner, Mia makes several mistakes and ends up tripping someone. Clarisse looks disappointed by this, but when someone at the table starts laughing about what happened, she joins in along with everyone else at the party.

Mia still feels embarrassed, and as she gets home, she looks at her dad’s picture and says that she’s sorry for letting him down. The next day, Mia meets Clarisse and asks if she’s angry about what happened the other day. Clarisse says she’s not, and that she actually found it funny because she also had an embarrassing moment during her first royal dinner party.

Mia still looks sad because she’s disappointed about what happened, and Clarisse notices this. She then tells Mia that she thinks they should spend the entire day having fun instead of focusing on her usual princess lessons. Mia looks surprised and asks if Clarisse doesn’t have important things to do, but she cancels them and says that she wants her granddaughter to show her around the city.

Mia looks happy about this, and she suggests taking her Mustang instead of the limo. Clarisse agrees to do this, and she spends some quality time with Mia. They eventually stop for a while, and Mia asks if her dad always wanted to be a prince. Clarisse says he did, but that he once had second thoughts about it when he fell in love with Helen. Mia asks why he didn’t change his mind about being a prince, and Clarisse mentions that Philippe realized how much he loved his country and his people.

Shortly after, they continue moving around the city, and as Mia struggles to drive her Mustang over a hill, she eventually hits a bus. The driver calls a cop to deal with the situation, and he says he’ll have to take Mia to the station because she was driving without a license. Before the cop can take her away, Clarisse stops him and uses her position as Queen to get Mia freed.

Mia looks happy about this, and she calls Clarisse a really cool queen. The next day, Mia arrives at school and signs some autographs for a few kids standing outside. Meanwhile, Lana gets interviewed by a news reporter, and she lies about being Mia’s good friend.

Much later, Josh sees Mia and tells her that he has already broken up with Lana. He adds that he wants her to be his date at a beach party on Saturday. Mia looks excited and accepts his offer because she still has a crush on him. She then goes to meet Michael to tell him that she can no longer come to the workshop on Saturday because she has a date with Josh. Michael looks disappointed by this, but he pretends to be fine with her decision.

On Saturday, Mia gets ready for the party and tells her mom that she’s excited to be going out with Josh. Helen doesn’t get why Mia is going out with Josh because she always complained that he was never nice to her. Mia says he has changed, but Helen still has doubts about Josh.

Shortly after, Mia heads to the beach and hangs out with Josh. Unfortunately, a reporter spots Mia on the beach, and she quickly runs away with Josh to find a place to hide. Elsewhere, Lilly begins her show and keeps waiting for Mia to show up as a guest.

After a while, Lilly gets tired of waiting, and she ends her show for the night and tells her guests that Mia probably had a good reason for not showing up. Back at the beach, Mia and Josh wait until everywhere gets dark before they decide to leave their hiding spot. Interestingly, there happens to be more photographers and reporters now waiting for them.

Josh then tries to take advantage of Mia so that everyone will think they’re dating, but she hits his head and runs away. Before she leaves the beach, Lana and her friends also humiliate her by calling the reporters on her while she’s changing her clothes. Mia looks embarrassed but quickly leaves the beach and cries about what happened when she gets home.

The next day, Mia’s pictures from the beach party get featured in newspapers around town. Clarisse looks disappointed and scolds Mia for embarrassing the royal family. Mia then decides to reject her job as a princess, and Clarisse says she’s making a wise decision.

Mia looks disappointed and asks if she still has to come to the ball, and Clarisse says she’s free to attend the party. After Mia leaves the Consulate, Joe tells Clarisse that he thinks she’s being too harsh on her granddaughter. Clarisse says that Mia didn’t behave like a princess at the party, but Joe says she’s still very young.

He adds that the Queen should appreciate the fact that Mia showed great respect and accepted her criticism. Clarisse then asks if Joe thinks Mia can become a good princess, and he says she can. The next day, at school, Mia goes to apologize to Lilly for missing her show.

Lilly seems very angry, not only because Mia ditched her show but also because she broke Michael’s heart. Mia says she’s really sorry, but Lilly still scolds her friend for what she did. Mia then says that Lilly has gotten her wish because she won’t be a princess anymore.

Lilly is shocked to hear this, and she says she wants Mia to be a princess. She adds that she recently realized that Mia’s position as a princess is like a miracle because she’ll be able to reach out to more people to make a change in the world. Mia says they’ll have to look for another miracle, but she invites Lilly to Genovia’s Independence Day Ball.

Even though Lilly initially pretends not to be interested, she forgives her friend and talks about what she’ll wear to the ball. Later that day, Mia gets tired of Josh making fun of her during baseball practice, so she hits him with the ball. Much later, Michael brings Mia’s car to her house after Doctor Motors repairs it.

Mia then takes advantage of this to apologize for what she did. She also invites him to the ball, but he questions why she wants him to go with her instead of Josh. Mia says she wants to share the moment with him, but he tells her that he’s not interested, and this leaves her disappointed.

The next day, at school, Lana insults Mia when she sits down with a boy named Jeremiah. Mia then stands up to Lana and deliberately spills ice cream on her cheerleading outfit. Lana looks disgusted by this, but Mia doesn’t seem to care. Later that day, when she gets home, Clarisse visits her and gives her a diary that Philippe had planned to give her for her 16th birthday. Mia notices that the diary is locked, and Clarisse says that the locket with Genovia’s crest is the key.

Clarisse then mentions that even though she was harsh the other day, she believes Mia would make a fine princess. Mia finds this surprising, but she says she can’t be a princess because she doesn’t want to disappoint her grandmother again. Clarisse still insists that she has faith in her, but Mia doesn’t say anything else.

Before Clarisse leaves, she tells Mia to come to the ball to formally renounce her title in front of the press. Mia says she doesn’t do well with speeches, but Clarisse believes she can handle it. She also mentions that she’ll get Joe to pick her up, but Mia says that Helen will bring her to the ball.

After Clarisse leaves, Mia heads to her room and unlocks the diary. A letter falls out of it, but Mia doesn’t see it because her cat has sat on it. As she then says that she can’t give speeches or be a princess, she starts packing some things from her room. Elsewhere, Charlotte asks if Joe isn’t going to pick Mia up for the party, but he says that Helen is supposed to bring her. Charlotte then tells him that Helen has already arrived and said that Mia is waiting for him.

Joe finds this confusing, but he realizes that Mia lied to Clarisse because she wants to run away from the city. Meanwhile, as Mia keeps getting ready to leave, she sees the letter on the floor and realizes that it’s from her dad. In the letter, Philippe tells Mia to always be courageous and brave instead of being too cautious.

He also mentions that he loved Helen very much and still thinks of her often. Mia feels touched by the letter, and she goes outside to drive her Mustang to the Ball in the rain. Elsewhere, Michael receives a pizza sent by Mia, who uses it as a way to apologize to him for what she did. He looks happy about this and decides to head to the ball. Back at the Consulate, Clarisse stays hopeful that Joe will be able to bring Mia to the ball.

She, however, mentions that if they don’t arrive in a few minutes, she’ll make the announcement to the press herself. Interestingly, Siegfried and his wife are already around, and the Baron looks ready to take control of Genovia after Mia renounces her title. Elsewhere, Joe gets to the house and sees that Mia is gone.

He then asks her neighbor where she went, and he points Joe in the right direction. On her way to the ball, Mia’s Mustang breaks down, and she looks disappointed because she won’t make it to the Consulate in time. Luckily, Joe arrives in a limo, and she immediately follows him to the Ball.

As Clarisse is about to make the announcement, Mia arrives and signals to her grandmother that she wants to do it herself. After Clarisse introduces her to the guests, Mia says she’s no longer scared of speaking in public because her dad helped her. She then announces that she would love to accept her title as a princess, and Clarisse looks happy about this while Siegfried looks disappointed.

Clarisse also brings out her very first Tiara and gives it to her granddaughter. Mia looks surprised and asks Clarisse how she knew she’d be there. Clarisse then says that Mia’s spirit reminds her of how she was when she was younger, and she just knew Mia would change her mind.

Shortly after, Paolo arrives and gives Mia another makeover before she heads out to dance at the ball. While Motaz dances with Clarisse, Mia looks around to see if Michael forgave her and came to the ball. As she eventually sees him, she looks very happy, and he comes out to dance with her. After this, Mia enjoys herself at the party, and the next day, she joins Clarisse on a trip to Genovia.

After living a normal life for 15 years, Mia is suddenly informed by her mom and grandmother that she’s the princess and future ruler of Genovia. Mia feared this responsibility and asked for more time to think about whether she wanted the title or not. She eventually planned to run away, but as she realized that she could use her position to make a real change in the world, she made her way to the Independence Day Ball and claimed her position as the princess of Genovia. Sometimes, the responsibilities we fear the most are the ones that give us the greatest purpose.

The Princess Diaries 2001 .