VETERAN British star Dame Julie Andrews is on familiar territory with her latest film, The Princess Diaries, in which an awkward girl is turned into a princess.

It's a reworking of a theme that the 66-year-old singer and actress covered on stage over 40 years ago when she starred in My Fair Lady. But now the tables have turned and Andrews is in the Henry Higgins role.

Her Eliza is American teen star Anne Hathaway, who plays Mia Thermopolis, a 16-year-old girl living in San Francisco with her artist mother (Caroline Goodall).

Regarded as a social misfit, Mia has one friend, Lilly (Heather Matarazzo), and a secret admirer, Lilly's brother Michael (Robert Schwartzman). But Mia only has eyes for school dreamboat Josh (Erik von Detten).

Mia's world is turned on its head when she learns she is the princess of the European principality of Genovia.

Her grandmother, Queen Clarisse Renaldi (Andrews), swans into town to organise the proper training so she can pass herself off as royalty.

Caught in the media spotlight, Mia must choose between her former life and friends, and the solitary life of a princess.

In one of her rare screen appearances, Andrews lights up the screen as the grand dame who has only a few weeks to polish Mia's rough edges.

The elegant Sound of Music star, who was made a Dame two years ago, says she knows all about personal transformation as she was once an awkward teen herself.

As a child I had buck teeth, bandy legs and a wonky eye, I was the most gawky thing well into my teens and I have the photos to prove it.

But her development into a graceful star was not the result of having a Higgins type mentor.

I certainly didn't have a fairy godmother who waved some magic wand and I was transformed. It took a great deal of hard work.

Although a comedy, The Princess Diaries has a timeless appeal because even in the era of MTV many girls still harbour secret dreams of being princesses, says Dame Julie.

I think there are lots of girls out there who really think they are princesses and love to identify with this. My granddaughters do, see it all around me.