Mia Thermopolis is a student at Grove High School residing with her single mother, Helen, in a refurbished firehouse in San Francisco. Unpopular among her peers, Mia suffers from a fear of public speaking while harboring a crush on Josh Bryant, and is often teased by his popular girlfriend, Lana Thomas. Mia's only friends are social outcast Lilly Moscovitz and her older brother, Michael, who secretly harbors feelings for Mia.

Mia learns from her estranged paternal grandmother, Clarisse, that she is the sole heir to the small European kingdom of Genovia, having inherited the throne from her recently deceased father, Philippe. Clarisse is determined to make Mia into a refined princess so that she may one day rule the kingdom over which Clarisse currently presides. Overwhelmed by the discovery, Mia initially refuses until her mother convinces her to attend her grandmother's "princess lessons" on the condition that she need not make her final decision until the Genovian Independence Day Ball in three weeks' time.

Mia receives a glamorous makeover and a limousine chauffeured by Joe, the queen's head of security and confidant, who becomes a father figure to her. Mia's transformation causes her schoolmates to treat her differently, while her increasingly hectic schedule strains her relationship with Lilly. To appease her best friend, Mia tells Lilly the truth and swears her to secrecy. However, the public soon learns that Mia is a princess after the secret is sold to the press by Paolo, the hairdresser responsible for Mia's makeover, and paparazzi begin to pursue her relentlessly. Although Mia embarrasses herself at her first state dinner, Clarisse admits that she found her clumsiness endearing and suggests that they spend quality time together, canceling their lessons for the following afternoon. While bonding, Clarisse explains that although Mia's parents loved each other, they divorced amicably in order to pursue their own passions, Philippe remaining in Genovia to eventually become king, and Helen returning to America with Mia to offer her a "normal" childhood.

As Mia's popularity grows, Josh invites her to attend a beach party with him. Mia accepts, causing her to neglect Lilly and forgo her plans with Michael. The paparazzi ambush Mia at the beach party. Josh kisses Mia in front of the paparazzi to get his "15 minutes of fame", while Lana helps the paparazzi photograph Mia wearing only a towel; both photographs are printed in the newspaper the following day. Finding the photos inappropriate for a princess, Clarisse admonishes Mia for her behavior, after which a humiliated Mia promises to renounce her title. Joe reminds Clarisse that Mia is still both a teenager and her granddaughter, suggesting that the queen reacted too harshly.

After making amends with Lilly, Mia gets back at Josh during PE and finally stands up to Lana for bullying a schoolmate. Mia invites both Lilly and Michael to the ball but Michael declines, still heartbroken over Mia's initial dismissal. After Clarisse apologizes to Mia for scolding her, she states that Mia must publicly renounce the throne at the ball. Terrified by the prospect, Mia plans to run away until she discovers a touching letter from her late father and relents. Mia's car malfunctions while driving to the ball, stranding her in a downpour until she is retrieved by Joe.

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Order of credits adapted from Variety magazine and Turner Classic Movies:
• Julie Andrews as Clarisse Renaldi, Mia's grandmother and Queen regent of Genovia
• Anne Hathaway as Mia Thermopolis, heir to the throne and Princess of Genovia
• Héctor Elizondo as Joe, Clarisse's head of security and Mia's limousine driver
• Heather Matarazzo as Lilly Moscovitz, Mia's eccentric and socially conscious childhood best friend
• Mandy Moore as Lana Thomas, a popular cheerleader and mean girl who bullies Mia and other students
• Caroline Goodall as Helen Thermopolis, Mia's mother; an artist
• Robert Schwartzman as Michael Moscovitz, Lilly's older brother who harbors romantic feelings for Mia
• Erik Von Detten as Josh Bryant, a popular, egotistical student on whom Mia develops a crush
• Sean O'Bryan as Patrick O'Connell, Mia's English teacher who begins to date Helen
• Sandra Oh as Geraldine Gupta, vice principal of Mia's school
• Kathleen Marshall as Charlotte Kutaway, Clarisse's secretary
• Patrick Flueger as Jeremiah Hart, a friend of Mia and Lilly's; an aspiring magician
• Mindy Burbano as Anita Harbula, Mia's gym teacher
• René Auberjonois as the voice of Philippe Renaldi, Mia's late father, Clarisse’s son, and former crown Prince of Genovia
• Larry Miller as Paolo Puttanesca, Mia's hairdresser and beautician
• Patrick Richwood as Mr. Robutusen, Mia's neighbor; a writer
• Mayor Willie Brown as himself
• Joel McCrary as Prime Minister Motaz
• John McGivern as Bruce McIntosh
• Fat Louie as himself, Mia's cat

Andrews explained that the film is as much "about what you are inside and the responsibility and just plain old hard work that goes into being a princess" as it is "about the trappings of being a princess". Hathaway identified "remaining true to yourself" among the film's core values, describing Mia's transformation as both emotional and psychological, in addition to physical. Hathaway elaborated that, despite the makeover, her character most importantly learns that "life shouldn't be about what the rest of the world can do for her" but rather "doing everything in her power to help other people", emphasizing her emotional transformation over her physical one. Chase regards the plot as an "empowerment story", identifying "the power to be anything that you want to be" as its core message. Chase elaborated, "In the beginning, Mia looks in the mirror and doesn't think she's princess material at all" but ultimately "comes to believe that she is". Houston echoed that being a princess "doesn't mean they have to come from royalty" but rather "how you feel inside about yourself it's how you treat yourself and love yourself that really matters." Bustle contributor Veronica Walsingham wrote that the film explores feminism, identity, family, girlhood, and duty, believing that The Princess Diaries "is a feminist dream of fully developed female characters whose arcs aren't dependent on male characters", additionally passing the Bechdel test. A critic for Time Out wrote that the film discusses "responsibility, surrogacy, rites of passage and the value of friendship". Writers for USA Today noted that, despite being a comedy, the film contains deeper topics such as "familial bonds, self-worth and stepping out of your shell".

Most of Marshall's films revolve around themes "of recognizing and embracing one's own unique qualities and gifts". The Globe and Mail's Liam Lacey observed that the film adheres to a traditional fairy tale plot: "a fairy godmother, and the lowly girl who becomes a princess, complete with tiara, the dress and a plump frog to be transformed into Prince Charming". The Princess Diaries has been noted to contain some romantic comedy elements. The film has also drawn comparisons to Pygmalion, a play that provided the basis for the stage musical My Fair Lady, in which Andrews coincidentally played the role of Eliza Doolittle; Mia has been compared to Eliza. Identifying Pygmalion as "the model for all subsequent dramas about the recreation of social identity", The Guardian film critic Philip French cited The Princess Diaries as one of several "makeover drama[s]" inspired by the play. Similarly, HuffPost contributor Matthew recognized the film among several "recent approaches" to the Pygmalion story. Jacobs Kristal Brent Zook of The Washington Post wrote that Clarisse "must ... remake the gawky girl into a vision of regal grace" in "true Henry Higgins fashion", a character from My Fair Lady. The Seattle Times film critic Moira Macdonald joked that Andrews "play[s] Henry Hig…

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