Dame Julie Andrews shares heartbreaking reason she won’t return for The Princess Diaries 3

Fans are heartbroken to discover that Dame Julie Andrews won't be returning for The Princess Diaries 3.

The Hollywood legend starred as the regal Queen Clarisse Renaldi in both the 2001 original film and the sequel from 2004, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement.

Anne Hathaway will be returning for her role of Mia Thermopolis, who - spoiler alert - is now the Queen of Genovia.

At the end of the second film, Mia was crowned after a law was abolished which required the queen to be married first.

When news broke that we were getting a trilogy, loyal fans had assumed it would be the same line-up again, with Dame Julie Andrews joining Hathaway and Chris Pine for another spin

However, speaking to TODAY, the 90-year-old confessed: "I’m not going to be in it."

Dame Julie Andrews won't be returning for the third film (Disney)

"I think the story is slightly different, and I’m not quite sure how they’re dealing with that," she continued.

"But it’s too late for me to do it. I think the story has to continue in Princess Mia. It’s her story. It’s not really mine.”

She later told InStyle that the team behind the forthcoming movie had wanted her in it: "I think I probably passed — I think I’m retired, really, would be about the best description for that."

The Dame said they 'asked me all last year if I would be keen to do it.'

"It was very, very hard to say ‘no,’ but I did because I thought I had a wonderful ride, and this one I felt would flourish very well and wouldn’t need Granny going in there at my age.”

The film hit a stumbling block when a first version of the script had to be scrapped.

She said the creative team from the film had been chasing her to join the cast (Disney)

Hathaway told SiriusXM in an interview: "I think we had a story breakthrough. I think we are moving in the right direction.

"The script that we were working on – we kind of had to start over with this new direction, which is not the update I think anybody wants, but we all feel really good that this is gonna be the one."

The films are based on the book of the same name, written by Meg Cabot.

Cabot said to The Hollywood Reporter: "I'm so excited there is a third movie. I read a script, and it was amazing. I told them not to send anymore, because I love it so much."

She admitted: "I have a problem keeping my mouth shut. I'm very happy with what I've read so far, but there's definitely some book things that were involved in the last script I read."

We're sure it'll be worth the wait.

Elsewhere, it was recently revealed that Disney+ is releasing a documentary all about the Dame's life.