The Princess Diaries is a novel written as a series of diary entries, and as the story progresses, the diary itself becomes an important symbol of self-reflection and personal growth. In Mia’s first diary entry, she says that her mother “thinks [Mia’s] repressing [her] feelings” (1), so Mia was given the book to record her honest thoughts about her mother dating her teacher, Mr. Gianini. However, when Mia learns that she is the Princess of Genovia, the diary entries become more dramatic, more personal, and more secretive. The diary begins to morph into a vital mode of storytelling and not just a dumping ground for Mia’s passing thoughts and feelings.

When Mia learns that she is a princess, she starts recording thoughts in the diary that she is too afraid to say out loud. In particular, Mia finds herself writing down things that she doesn’t even tell Lilly, who is supposed to be her best friend. Mia says that she “[can’t] go to Lilly’s” because she is “vehemently opposed to any form of government that is not by the people” (47), so Mia is sure that her best friend will hate her when she learns that Mia is a princess. The diary becomes Mia’s internal

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