It’s been 15 years since "The Princess Diaries" movie first came out, and 16 years since the publication of the first book. Filled with heartbreak, drama and an unlikely princess, this series captivated me like no other. Looking back all this time later, I realized that some of Princess Mia’s friends were way better than others. And some of them are way jerkier than I remembered. In honor of it's 16 years of existence, I’ve ranked Mia’s closest friends, from “Absolute Worst Person Ever” to “Queen of Friendship” to prove just how deserving some of them are over others.
5. J.P. Reynolds Abernathy IV, aka “The Guy Who Hates It When They Put Corn In the Chili."
What a jerk. Known only as that weird kind who picks the corn out of the chili at lunch until the seventh book, J.P. is a mistake that never should have happened. He befriends Mia through a musical that her Grandmère forces her into and sees her as his one-way ticket to fame. He dates Lilly Moscovitz, but immediately dumps her when Mia and Michael Moscovitz break up. He lies to Mia about being a virgin and is always pushing her to be in the spotlight even though she doesn’t feel comfortable with it. An overall jerk, he reigns over last place because he was never a good friend, and he didn’t try very hard to pretend otherwise.
4. Lana Weinberger.
Contrary to the initial depiction of her, Lana is a pretty decent person. She’s a downright jerk to Mia, Lilly and their other friends in the first half of the series, but her and Mia eventually bond after she breaks up with the brainless Josh Richter. Though their friendship gets off to a rocky start, they actually become pretty close. Lana even helps Mia and Michael get back together after their break up, which is why she’s not entirely deserving of last place.
3. Lilly Moscovitz.
Tough, sarcastic and opinionated, Lilly Moscovitz is not a force to be taken lightly. She’s been best friends with Mia since kindergarten and the two know almost everything about each other, though Mia’s secret crush on her brother causes some tension between the two. Lilly’s a great friend when she wants to be, but after her boyfriend, J.P., dumps her for Mia, she ends their friendship, going as far as creating a website called ihatemiathermopolis.com.
Lilly and Mia’s eventually reunion is such a satisfying moment, but her unnecessary cruelty to Mia while they’re apart is what bumps her back to third place.
2. Michael Moscovitz.
Smart, charismatic and handsome, what more could a girl want? Brother of her best friend Lilly, Michael was the cute, older brother who was always nice to her. The two wanted nothing more than to eventually date, and when they broke up, it almost broke my heart. Michael disappeared to Japan for two years, but it was never an attempt to abandon Mia. He helps build a robotic arm to make surgery safer as a way to prove that he was good enough for Mia.
Michael gets points docked because of the break up, but there were legitimate reasons for it, such as Mia’s insecurities over Michael’s past relationships and Michael feeling like he wasn’t good enough. Despite this, he never stopped loving her, and that gains him second place.
1. Tina Hakim Baba.
No one deserves the top spot like Tina. At first ignored because she was the weird girl who had a body guard, she and Mia were able to bond over their unique situations and love of romance stories. Where Lilly is too critical of Mia, Tina accepts her entirely for who she is and never stops supporting Mia, even after Mia starts dating the jerky J.P. Tina’s sincerity and loyalty completely stole my heart when I read the books, and that’s what makes her the Queen of Friendship in the number one spot on this list.
