Amelia Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldo, Princess of Genovia
The novel’s protagonist, title character, diarist and narrator, although those last two could be every bit as redundant as the names listed above. For the sake of simplicity, just call her Mia Thermopolis. It seems almost beyond conceivability that too many people could come to the book that started it all without being unfamiliar with the movie that transformed it into a brand name commodity, but one never knows. And so: Mia begins as just another teenage girl who at one point in her diary manifests the disbelief that is prevalent: “I am so NOT a princess.” She is tall, gawky, clumsy, hardly the odds-on fave to become prom queen, has troublesome hair, eschews the consumption of meat (before it was cool), and, as if that weren’t enough, is self-consciously lacking impressive endowments upstairs.
Clarisse Marie Grimaldi Renaldo
Let’s dismiss with that mouthful right away. This character is forever afterward known as, for some reason, Grandmère. Don’t worry, that’s just fancy French for Grandmother. Well, maybe do worry a bit. After all, Mia is a bona fide American girl. And Thermopolis is about as Greek as it gets. Grimaldi is very famously Italian. And, of course, sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but Genovia is not a real place. But the very French Grandmère is. For reasons that shall remain unknown for the moment, but which you can rest assured will be explained in detail as the narrative moves. Because, after all, it Grandmère who is the agency which transforms simple Mia Thermpolis into that name salad written in full above.
Helen Thermopolis
Helen is Mia’s mom of the singular variety. She is a somewhat famous painter who lives—where else—in Greenwich Village. She is the type of woman capable of becoming depressed after finding out she was dating a Republican without knowing it. So, you know, she’s cool and all, but she’s still got problems. She is not exactly the typical mother, leaning slightly toward irresponsibility—she is an artist, after all—and dating Mia’s algebra teacher. And not even for the purpose of getting her daughter a passing grade, but because she actually likes him!
Lilly Moscovitz
Before there were—you should pardon the expression—“YouTube stars” there was cable public access. The most famous stars of this type of incredibly localized broadcasting were, of course, Wayne and Garth, hosts of Wayne’s World. Well, Mia’s best friend is public access star in her own right—sort of a precursor to iCarly—with a show called Lilly Tells it Like Is. Of course, as Mia points out, public access stardom was available only to those with the cash to buy time and when her parents pull the plug on the $200 per episode indulgence, well, she’ll just have to patiently wait for 2005 to roll around.
Michael Moscovitz
Lilly has an older brother because, well, that’s what besties in stories like this have. And, it goes without saying, Michael Moscovitz is not exactly king of the dorks. Michael is already a little ahead of his sister in the media recognition, having been full indulged in webzine called Crackhead which Mia’s father temporarily bans her from accessing by using an overpriced bottle of fermented grape juice to destroy her modem. Needless to say, of course, Mia is crushing hard on Michael.
Philippe Renaldo
The dad with the infamously over-the-top temper given to childish tantrums. He has kept from Mia the fact that he is a princess and she is a princess for his reasons. The girl was illegitimate, born to Helen without benefit or desire of contractually binding marital relations. He finally decides to open up due to that oldest of all bugaboos: he just found out he’s got cancer and Mis is going to be his one and only issue. One heir with no spare.
