The Princess Diaries is back on screens, but viewers may notice one familiar face is missing from the new series – Peter Andre’s wife Emily.
Princess Andre has returned to her show with brother Junior for another glimpse into her life.
This time, their mum Katie Price also makes her long awaited debut too.
Katie, who previously claimed she had been banned from appearing on the series, features in all four episodes.
Princess and Junior’s dad, Peter, also appears regularly as the latest series unfolds.
However, Peter’s wife Emily is largely absent. She does pop up in one scene… but if you blink you’ll miss it!
Why is Emily MacDonagh not in The Princess Diaries?
Emily, 36, does briefly appear in The Princess Diaries, but only in a short cameo.
She is seen in episode three when Princess and Junior travel to London to watch Peter in Mamma Mia: The Party! at the O2 Arena.
Princess and Junior arrive at the press night with Junior’s girlfriend Jasmine, while Emily does not travel with them.
The GP later appears only briefly on the red carpet as Peter poses with his wife and his two eldest children before the performance begins. Even during scenes at the table, Emily is not shown.
So why is she missing?
Last year, Emily and Peter both said they wanted to take a step back from The Princess Diaries. The decision came after Princess and Junior’s mum Katie criticised not being included in the show.
At the time, insiders claimed the couple would not appear in series two or three so the spotlight could remain firmly on Princess.
A source said: “Pete and Emily will not feature in The Princess Diaries seasons two and three. It was discussed between him and Princess, and they decided as a family that it’s better for the show to focus on Princess alone, rather than her family life.”
Peter has since changed course and returned to the programme. Reports claimed producers were “struggling for content” without Princess’ famous dad appearing.
Speaking earlier this month, Peter said: “I pop in a little bit. It’s her show but I pop in. They came to see the show [Mamma Mia! The Party] and filmed it, so they’ll be some of that footage.”
Emily, though, has remained committed to stepping away from the series and is instead focusing on her own career while leaving the spotlight to Princess and Junior.
What does Emily do?
Alongside working as a GP, Emily has continued to build her career as an influencer.
Last month, she and her friend Dr Raj Arora launched their podcast, The Double Dose.
Announcing the project, Emily and Raj said: “From hormones and motherhood to skin, sleep, neurodiversity and sex, no topic’s too taboo and no question’s too awkward.”
Emily also has almost 800,000 followers on Instagram, where she regularly shares posts about health, motherhood and recipes.
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She balances all of that while raising her and Peter’s three children, Amelia, 12, Theo, eight, and one year old Arabella.
When is The Princess Diaries on?
The Princess Diaries returned on Tuesday July 28, 2026.
The first episode airs on ITV2 at 9pm, with the remaining three episodes shown at the same time on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
If you cannot wait, the full four part series is already available to stream on ITVX.
We’ve binged – and recommend you do the same!
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