Anne Hathaway ‘pushed really hard’ for Julie Andrews to return for Princess Diaries 3

But the 90-year-old wasn't up for it...

Hathaway was speaking to Entertainment Tonight after collecting her Disney Legends honour at the D23 Expo, responding to Andrews saying she did not "think I should be a part of" the film.

"First of all, I just want to say if she has a change of heart, we're down. Just anything, really. But we also want to be respectful", the actress, 43, said.

"Like, for goodness sakes, if anybody has contributed to the world of entertainment and to our collective joy, it's her. Whatever she wants, we completely understand," the Oscar winner added, before conceding: "We did push really hard to see if she would want to do it."

Why Julie Andrews said no to Princess Diaries 3

Andrews, who told The Hollywood Reporter earlier this month that she is "really past all that now", said she is not completely retired but has moved to a different kind of work, which includes writing books, recording podcasts and doing voiceovers.

"But truly, I don't think I should be a part of it," she said.

Plot details are being kept under wraps, though the film continues the story of Mia Thermopolis, crowned queen of Genovia at the end of The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement – unmarried, after Parliament abolished the law requiring a queen to have a husband.

It is the latest noughties favourite to be dusted off, after The Inbetweeners stars signed up for a third film.