Anne Hathaway addresses Julie Andrews' absence from The Princess Diaries 3

Anne Hathaway will miss Julie Andrews' sense of humour when she starts shooting The Princess Diaries 3 without her.

The Mary Poppins legend, who played Hathaway's grandmother Queen Clarisse Renaldi in the first two films, confirmed last week that she will not be involved in the third instalment because she has retired from on-camera acting.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Hathaway revealed what she'll miss the most about having Andrews on set with her when the film goes into production.

"She's so warm and she's so gracious and she's so funny," she praised, adding that she'll miss her "sense of humour" most.

"She brings magic with her wherever she goes. She's this amazing love conductor," she continued. "People feel so safe loving her, and she's so beautiful at receiving love and giving it back to people. And who doesn't want to be around people like that."

The Odyssey actress has previously said she is fully committed to making a third film happen.

In the 2001 original and its 2004 sequel, Hathaway played Mia Thermopolis, a high school student who discovers she's the princess of the fictional nation of Genovia, ruled by her grandmother (Andrews).

At the D23 fan convention in California on Sunday, Hathaway was named a Disney Legend alongside the likes of Dwayne Johnson, Lin-Manuel Miranda and the Jonas Brothers.

During her acceptance speech, she acknowledged her work with The Sound of Music actress, a fellow Disney Legend.

"How lucky am I that my first studio picture ever starred perhaps the greatest Disney Legend of all time, the incomparable Julie Andrews," Hathaway told the audience. "I got to learn so much from her when I was just 17. From the time I met her at the first read-through of The Princess Diaries, she showed me that kindness, patience...(and) hard work...(are an) unbeatable combination."