Princess

It's hard not to become giddy when talking about Julie Andrews. The legendary actress's career spans more than 50 years, with multiple generations of families still enjoying her library of work together — from Mary Poppins to The Princess Diaries. What many people don't know is that the 76-year-old Academy Award winner is also the coauthor — with her daughter Emma Walton Hamilton — of more than 20 children's books, including the just-released The Very Fairy Princess: Here Comes the Flower Girl!, part of the "Very Fairy Princess" series.

As far as meeting her in person — well as someone who can still recite virtually every line of The Sound of Music, it's a totally surreal experience. From the beautiful English accent that spoke to me from my favorite films to the fact that she still exudes the authoritativeness of the governesses she played, the experience was almost regal — which is why Andrews is perfectly cast as the spokeswoman for Disney and Target's first National Princess Week, which runs from April 22-28. I met up with the living legend, her daughter, and her granddaughter at a princess-themed tea — feather boas, scepters and all — to discuss the relevance of princesses today, working motherhood, and her favorite roles over the years.

On why playing princesses is really OK:
Julie Andrews: "My personal take on it is that they may be trying on for size what it feels like to be, say, a real lady. [It] perhaps, in some way, helps them find their own identity later in life. I do think fantasy and play of this kind — whatever it is, if you want to play at being a nurse, or if you want to play at being a florist — it's all important and should be allowed, because it would be an awfully sad place if we didn't try on those airs and have fun doing it."

On raising strong, independent, confident women in a culture saturated with princesses:
Emma Walton Hamilton: "Sometimes I think princesses are given an unfair rap. We compiled a list of over 70 contemporary princesses. In doing the research for that, I was reminded once again of the extraordinary work princesses do in the world. The charitable contributions, the causes they champion, the amount of good and service they contribute and provide. I think they're a wonderful example of being strong, feminine, and kind, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that."

On her favorite Disney princess:
Julie Andrews: "Mine has to be, because I've been involved with it, Cinderella. I played Cinderella when I was about 17 years old in England, and then when I came to America it was the first Rodgers and Hammerstein musical they wrote for me. So for me Cinderella has always resonated. And I love the rags to riches, kind of like my own story in a little way."

Keep reading for Andrews's thoughts on Princess Kate, the state of motherhood today, and her favorite role.

I guess Disney's decision to stop making princess movies was a half-truth. The fairytale film company is introducing a new Disney princess, Sofia the First, who for the first time will be a little girl. The younger princess is meant to attract preschoolers and be a positive and educational role model in her TV movie and series. According to a Disney GM, Sofia will have “plenty of pretty dresses and sparkly shoes," but "what makes a real princess is what’s inside, not what’s outside."

Hopefully the new pint-sized princess's younger age will mean she's doing more than waiting for her Prince Charming to come, but it seems like just another way to market the princess culture to an even younger generation. What we're really excited to see is the courageous Princess Merida in Pixar's Brave, who challenges her family and country's customs while wielding a bow and arrow on horseback — now that's a real Disney princess "first."

What do you think about the new preschool princess?

• 10 princesses we can learn from
• Author Emily Giffin's gift-giving advice, plus her gift ideas for the women in your life
• 9 reasons to love weddings when you're single
• Without this ring I thee wed? Prince William won't wear a wedding band
• Men feel old at 58; women feel it at 29
• For her birthday, a tribute to the sexy, crazy genius of Lady Gaga
• Find out how happy couples talk
• Breakups literally cause physical pain
• 6 unforgettable wedding day stories
• Probably one of the worst drunken voicemails ever, and the receiver's response
• Roundup of April's best new books

For the little girl who turns her nose up to tiara-clad Barbies and plastic castles, there's now a princess prep camp for little American girls with loftier royal aspirations. Complete with butlers, chefs, etiquette lessons, and palace visits, it's a great way to enable your daughter's realistic lifetime goal of becoming "the next Kate Middleton."

The princess mania has been in full force this year. There was the news that Disney was shelving fairy tales and the extensive lead-up to the big announcement of Prince William and Kate's engagement, which has sparked a flurry of buzz that will continue until their wedding next year. Here, we've covered everything from princess training to Kate look-alikes, so get your royal fix by clicking on the top-crowned stories below.

6 Things You Didn't Know About William and Kate	What Happens at Princess Training?	Kate Middleton Look-Alikes For Hire
Disney Shelves Fairy Tale Movies	Marital Advice From Your Church?	An American's Guide to British Royal Titles
William and Kate's Austerity Wedding	What Is Royal Life Like?	Obese Disney Princesses

Created by Aly Bellissimo, the illustrator behind the blog Creepy Miranda, these obese Disney princesses are definitely disturbing. They don't look unhappy next to their thinner counterparts just because they're heavier, but because their faces and body language say, "I'm sad." What's the point? Not to be a stickler, but princess culture already has a bad enough rap, so when adding 300 pounds to iconic cartoon characters, there needs to be a point!