The Princess

Lore & Background

The Princess in Braid is never directly named or seen clearly; she appears only as a silhouette or in brief, stylized cutscenes. Tim, the player character, pursues her across different worlds, each with unique time-manipulation mechanics. The game's story is ambiguous, but it is heavily implied that Tim's quest is a delusion or a metaphor for regret and obsession. The princess is often associated with the atomic bomb—her "rescue" in the final level triggers a mushroom cloud, and the game's text references the Manhattan Project. Jonathan Blow has stated that the game explores themes of obsession, the consequences of one's actions, and the nature of reality. The princess's role is deliberately open to interpretation, with some readings suggesting she represents a lost love, a scientific breakthrough, or a destructive ideal.

In Their Own Story

Mia Thermopolis describes herself as a five-foot nine, flat chested, freshman, freak; also known as Amelia Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldo, Princess of Genovia. Mia loves to write, has a tendency to obsess over everything that happens to her, is a vegetarian, identifies as a feminist and is currently failing algebra and many other subjects. She is the teenage daughter of Helen Thermopolis, a painter, and Philippe Renaldo, the crown prince of Genovia. Mia learns she is the heir apparent of Genovia while she is a student at the fictional Albert Einstein High School in Manhattan. Mia is sometimes shy and has a down-to-earth personality, though on occasion she shows herself to be quite sarcastic and sly. Throughout the series, she is very critical of herself, describing herself as flat-chested, taller than most girls at 5-foot-9, and having embarrassingly large feet. She also has a tendency to over-analyze and worry. In the film series, some of Mia's external characteristics and life details are altered, but much of her core personality remains. She is portrayed by Anne Hathaway. Her last name was changed to Renaldi for the films.

Reader's Guide

The primary characters include Mia Thermopolis, the protagonist; Grandmere, Mia's grandmother who loves Sidecars, is highly critical of everyone around her, has a hairless poodle named Rommel, and calls Michael Moscovitz 'that boy'; Lilly Moscovitz, Mia's bossy activist best friend who has her own television cable show, Lilly Tells It Like It Is; Michael Moscovitz, Lilly's older brother who is extremely smart and according to Mia, is attractive, and also Mia's crush; Philippe Renaldo, Mia's royal father who is the prince of Genovia, had Mia out of wedlock, is constantly annoyed by his domineering mother, has many girlfriends, and tells Mia that she is a princess after he is no longer able to have children because he had cancer; Tina Hakim-Baba, a girl whom Mia befriends throughout the novel whose father is an oil man sheikh who is worried that she will get kidnapped; Frank Gianini, Mia's algebra and homeroom teacher who dates her mother, Helen; Lars, Mia's bodyguard who follows her almost everywhere and lives in the Plaza; and Fat Louie, Mia's very fat cat who is attracted to anything shiny. Secondary characters include Lars van der Hooten, Mia's very protective Swedish bodyguard; Helen Thermopolis, Mia's mother who has a career as an artist; Artur Christoff Phillipe Gerard Grimaldi Renaldo, Prince of Genovia, Mia's father and Clarisse's son who had a brief tryst with Helen in college resulting in Mia's conception; Tina Hakim Baba, Mia's classmate and the daughter of a Saudi Arabian oil sheik and a British ex-supermodel; John Paul "J.P." Reynolds Abernathy IV, a classmate who meets Mia through Grand-mère's school musical in Party Princess; Boris Pelkowski, a Russian violin virtuoso and Lilly's boyfriend; Lana Weinberger, a popular junior cheerleader with long blonde hair, a peaches-and-cream complexion, baby blue eyes and a voluptuous figure; and Josh Richter, Lana Weinberger's boyfriend who is on the crew team and is co-valedictorian.

Did You Know?

• The Princess is never named or fully shown in Braid, appearing only as a silhouette or in abstract cutscenes.
• The game's final level, where Tim finally reaches the princess, triggers a mushroom cloud, strongly linking her to the atomic bomb.
• Jonathan Blow has described the princess as a 'MacGuffin' that drives the plot but is ultimately a symbol of Tim's own flaws.
• The princess's design and role were inspired by classic damsel-in-distress tropes, but the game subverts them by making Tim's quest seem misguided or destructive.
• The princess's appearance changes slightly between worlds, but she always runs away from Tim, never toward him.

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