In 1999, Roman Holiday was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

She secretly leaves the embassy to explore the city and, as the drug takes effect, falls asleep atop a low wall, where Joe Bradley, an American reporter, finds her.

Joe oversleeps and misses the princess's scheduled press conference, but claims to his editor, Hennessy, that he attended.

Hennessy shows him a news item about the cancellation of the press conference due to the princess's "sudden illness".

Joe realizes the woman in his apartment is the princess from the newspaper photograph, and asks Hennessy what he would pay for an exclusive interview with her.

Joe calls his photographer friend, Irving Radovich, and offers to show "Anya" around Rome, without revealing that he is a reporter and that he knows her true identity.

As they attend a dance on a boat that her barber had invited her to, agents from Ann's government try to forcibly take her back.

While drying their wet clothes at Joe's apartment, a radio bulletin says that the people of Ann's country are concerned that her illness may be serious.

Other photographers take pictures with their large press cameras, while Irving makes a show of using his cigarette lighter.

[9] Peck's contract gave him solo star billing, with newcomer Hepburn listed much less prominently in the credits.

[17] The film also opened the same week in two theatres in Portland, Oregon, on a double bill with Murder Without Tears, grossing $14,000.

Milton Luban of The Hollywood Reporter said the movie "proves a charming, laugh-provoking affair that often explodes into hilarity... it has a delightful screenplay that sparkles with wit and outrageous humor that at times comes close to slapstick" and that the "cinematographers do a fine job of incorporating Roman landmarks into the storyline".

[21] It earned an estimated $3 million at the United States and Canadian box office during its first few months of release,[22] and a total of $5 milion.

The website's critical consensus reads: "With Audrey Hepburn luminous in her American debut, Roman Holiday is as funny as it is beautiful, and sets the standard for the modern romantic comedy.

[27] Empire concluded that the film is a "timeless, exuberant classic, with Hepburn's naïve sense of fun and perfectly charming performance matched equally by Peck's louche and charismatic worldy American".

They include the Malayalam Kilukkam (1991),[39] the Tamil-language May Madham (1994),[40] and Notting Hill (1999) - which a review described as "a 90's London-set version of Roman Holiday"[41] When Lewis Gilbert was making The Adventurers for Paramount, he said Charles Bludhorn, whose company owned the studio, wanted the director to make a musical remake of Roman Holiday with songs by the Sherman Brothers.