Julie Andrews, 91, makes ultra-rare public appearance 3 years after final red carpet

Julie Andrews stepped out in the Hamptons in an ultra-rare appearance from the legendary actress, who turned 91 on October 1.

The Sound of Music star was pictured being helped out of a car in the Hamptons, dressed in a lilac rain jacket, a white trucker cap and pink-tinted sunglasses. She appeared relaxed as her companion assisted her in getting out of the car.

The outing comes more than three years after her last red carpet appearance, when she supported her close friend, Carol Burnett, at her 90 Years Of Laughter + Love Birthday Special in March 2023.

Julie Andrews' retirement in her own words

Julie has largely stepped away from onscreen roles in recent years, instead choosing to focus on voiceover projects like in Bridgerton and Jane Austen Stories.

"I'm not completely retired, but it's a different kind of work that I do these days – [writing] books, and I do a lot of recording of podcasts and voiceovers," she told The Hollywood Reporter. She added that while it was "still lovely to be working on things", she wasn't looking for work "necessarily on camera".

Julie went on to explain her reasons for not signing on for the third instalment of The Princess Diaries, co-starring Anne Hathaway, 22 years after the sequel was released. "I think the absolute truth is that I think I'm really past all that now," she admitted. "It isn't that I'm not enthusiastic for it. It's just that I really don't feel I should be part of it now."

As for the Princess Diaries legacy, which has endured for more than two decades now, Julie shared: "I'm thrilled, and it was well-made by dear [director] Garry Marshall, who was the sweetest director you could imagine and funny and talented and considerate. So it was a very enjoyable film to make."

The mother of three reiterated her reasoning for not stepping back into the role of Queen Clarisse in the film, telling InStyle: "[The Princess Diaries 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."

"I think I'm retired, really, would be about the best description for that," Julie clarified, before adding that doing voiceover work kept her brain "alive".

Julie Andrews' fitness tips

Julie is still going strong in her 90s, thanks to a lifetime of keeping fit and healthy for roles on the stage and on the screen.

"I am grateful for the early years of my life when the training was very disciplined and crazy... It gave me a work ethic and made me really have to be good," she told Yahoo Life in 2024.

"I have all my life worked out first thing in the morning or something like that – a little less so these days," she added. "It used to be nothing but singing practice or dancing lessons ... but it's all part of that same stimulation for me."

Her eldest daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton, shared that she believed her mother's longevity came down to her intense curiosity about the world. "I think it's because Mom is at heart a curious person. She stays very interested and very curious about creativity," Emma said.