When Marshall died in July 2016, several cast members paid tribute to the late director online. Following Marshall's death, "The Daily Telegraph" film critic Robbie Collin wrote that "The Princess Diaries" is "by no means a flawless movie", but rather "one from which a star was able to bounce out, eyes bright, teeth flashing and primed for adoration. Marshall’s films may never have made him a critical darling, but his best work thrived on smile power – on both the faces of his audience and cast." When the film was released on Netflix in 2018, the streaming service tweeted their surprise at the revelation that Houston served as a producer on the film, inspiring several Twitter users to comment the same. The film's popularity among audiences has since defied expectations initially indicated by its lukewarm reception nearly two decades after its release. Observing that the film experienced a renaissance in 2018, Walsingham credits the film's resurgence to its release on Netflix and American actress Meghan Markle's marriage to Prince Harry, whose narrative has been compared to Mia's role in "The Princess Diaries" in the media, particularly the fact that Markle underwent "duchess training" for the title.