Frail Julie Andrews won't act again and walks with a cane: As she turns 91 far from view, industry insider reveals what's happening with reclusive actress

For decades, Dame Julie Andrews has been one of the most instantly recognizable women in the world.

But these days, the legendary grande dame of stage and screen has become an increasingly rare sight, retreating from the spotlight that once followed her everywhere.

'Julie spends a lot of time at home, she is a homebody, and loves being in Sag Harbor in the Hamptons where she has a beautiful garden. She loves to tend to her roses,' an industry insider told the Daily Mail.

Ahead of celebrating her 91st birthday last Thursday, the Mary Poppins star was nowhere to be seen at her $2.8 million Hamptons home.

In the village of Sag Harbor, Andrews never seemed to show face over the week, and locals appeared to have sworn omerta over her comings and goings.

'Sometimes she is seen in town meeting someone for tea, she is spotted here and there, and is always impeccably dressed with full makeup on and tasteful gold jewelry - no sweat outfits for her - but the sightings are rare,' the source told the Daily Mail.

'And she doesn't do the Hamptons society thing, though she has been invited in, she has said no. She is very private, and is very close to her daughter, Emma [Walton Hamilton], they see each other all the time.'

She was previously pictured in the town, clutching a cane as she left her daughter Hamilton's theater just a few minutes drive from her home back in September 2023. 

Her elusiveness around the town comes off the back of her announcing in early August that she would be retiring from screen roles. 

In a new interview, Andrews addressed the highly anticipated Princess Diaries sequel after years of questions about her possible return.

But after starring in the first two films – released in 2001 and 2004 – as Queen Clarisse, she revealed that she has 'passed' up the chance to reprise the role.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she said: 'I think I'm retired, really, would be about the best description for that. 

'[The film's creative team] asked me all last year if I would be keen to do it. It was very very hard to say 'no,' but I did because I thought I had a wonderful ride, and this one I felt would flourish very well and wouldn't need Granny going in there at my age.'

Working 12 hour days on a Hollywood movie set just doesn't appeal to Andrews any longer, according to our source, who claimed she is never short of big money offers. 

'Julie just doesn't want to do big movies anymore because it is so taxing for her, all that time away from home is brutal,' the insider said. 'She gets offers with big paychecks all the time to star in movies and she just says no. She doesn't need the money, she already has her fortune.'

But a life of retirement is not the alternative for Andrews, who insists she is not 'completely' retired, instead keeping herself busy with writing books and recording podcasts and voiceovers.

'She has done voiceover work on Bridgerton, which she loves because she doesn't have to wake up early then do makeup and hair,' said our insider. 

Her unmistakable voice has become such a big part of her that she even had a sound booth built into her Hamptons home by her grandson Sam, a sound engineer.

'I just walk into my ridiculous closet, and there's the microphone and my grandson,' she previously told Orlando Family magazine of the room, which is draped in curtains, cushions and blankets for comfort. 'We work so well together. He's a wonderful director.'

In recent years Andrews has been relatively open about her slower pace of life, telling Julia Louis-Dreyfus on her Wiser Than Me show in 2024: 'I don't go out as much, and I love being home. But I kind of enjoyed that, pulling back a little bit now. And of course I've got a million thoughts and ideas and hope that I can keep going for a great deal longer. But who knows? And I'm just pleased that I've arrived here.'

But that quiet life is about to get louder, however, as Andrews has been working on a new documentary for Disney+ from director RJ Cutler. Set for release in 2027, the reclusive actress will share a trove of never before seen photos from her colorful life.

'They did a few sit-down interviews with her at her home,' said our insider. 'She talks about Mary Poppins, The Sound Of Music and The Princess Diaries, her fans will love that. It should be a big deal next year.

'She is participating in the documentary because she is proud of her work and wants to celebrate it. Julie also shares a lot of her old photos from her early years, photos no one has ever seen before.'

They continued: 'She has led a quiet life for decades now, but there will be a lot of press for the documentary, it is a big deal for Disney+, so I am not sure she is fully prepared for that.'

Despite her excitement at dipping her toe back into the big screen, she's putting pause to any plans to promote the show worldwide, sticking instead to the East Coast.

'It's a good thing she lives so close to New York City, she can just be driven in and do her interviews there. Walking is not so easy for her, but she has a cane and plenty of help,' our insider shared.

Like her two memoirs - Home: A Memoir of My Early Years (2008), which charts her working-class upbringing in Britain, and Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years (2019), about her life in America after 1963 - the documentary promises to be a tearjerker.

'Fans will be reminded with this documentary that Julie's life was not always easy as she was abused by her stepfather, her mother was an alcoholic, and she had to support her family financially starting at a young age as a performer,' said the source.

'Her early years were dark, and I think that is why she has worked so hard to have a happy, comfortable life. When you grow up with so much pain, it takes a lot of effort to shake that.'

Then there were the two big heartbreaks that followed, one of which threatened to derail her entire career.

'One of the hardest things she had to do in her entire life was have throat surgery in 1997 to take out non-cancerous lesions,' said our source.

'The surgery left scar tissue that hurt her voice, which is so sad as she had a four-octave range. That really broke her heart, to lose her voice, because it was her magic, it was her identity and her joy. After she found out she could no longer sing well, she became incredibly depressed and felt an extreme loss. It really was a tragedy.'

And she had plans for her voice that will never come to fruition. 

'She made money from the malpractice lawsuit, but it did not make a dent in what she lost from work, and it just took so much away from her,' added the source.

'She had planned to sing for many more decades, it made her happy, she wanted to be on stage as she loved doing Victor/Victoria on Broadway, it was her favorite role, so to lose that was horrific.' She starred in both the 1982 movie version and the '90s Broadway version of Victor/Victoria.

Andrews previously revealed how the surgery plunged her into depression. 'When I woke up from an operation to remove a cyst on my vocal cord, my singing voice was gone,' she told AARP. 'I went into a depression. It felt like I'd lost my identity.'

Then there was the loss of her great love, Breakfast At Tiffany's director Blake Edwards, who died in 2010 at the age of 88. Andrews and Edwards were wed from 1969 until his death.

Speaking to Oprah Daily she once described him as 'the most charismatic, mercurial gentleman I'd ever encountered,' and compared their relationship to a 'wild roller-coaster ride.'

'He was the love of her life,' our source said. 'They fit really well, were together for over 40 years, so she misses him a lot. He was playful and fun, and made her laugh, and that cannot be replaced.'

But Andrews is not plagued by loneliness, as she still has her family around her. 'Julie is very close to her grandchildren, she is delighted they are all doing so well. Many of them work in theater and films, and she helps guide them. That fulfills her these days,' said our source.

The actress gained recognition when she made her film debut in the 1964 movie Mary Poppins alongside Dick Van Dyke.

The Disney film raked in positive reviews and critical acclaim upon its release, and earned Andrews her first Oscar for Best Actress. 

In 1965, she took on another leading role in The Sound Of Music, which also garnered her an Oscar nomination.

During the Academy Awards, the movie picked up a handful of honors, including Best Picture and Best Director for Robert Wise.

The actress appeared in other projects such as Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), Darling Lili (1970) and Victor/Victoria (1982).

In 2001, she played Queen Clarisse Renaldi in The Princess Diaries, before reprising her role three years later in its sequel, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement.

Last year, the actress notably won Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance during the 2025 Creative Arts Emmys. She did not attend in person.

The Daily Mail had contacted representatives for Andrews for comment.