Before the Crown is a compelling read about the courtship amd relationship of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip. I think the author did an excellent job of personifying the main characters. Elizabeth, dutiful and obedient, overshadowed by rambunctious Margaret. Philip, aloof, unsure, adrift. But willing to give up a title to marry Elizabeth. I've always admired Queen Elizabeth, who is very stalwart and shrewd. No matter if she and Philip really loved each other at the beginning or not, their 72 year marriage has endured.

Although this is a fictional account of the courtship between the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, the author has drawn on many sources and I’d like to think it was accurate. It certainly feels real. It covers their early meeting, their gradual courtship through the latter war years and the opposition they faced over their marriage. The King is portrayed as a doting father who sees no one as being good enough for his princess.

As well as being an enjoyable read, it was fascinating to read about the royal families of Europe and their relationships with one another.

I really enjoyed this book as it imagines the story of Elizabeth and Philip before their marriage. It would definitely appeal to fans 9f the Crown and some chapters reminded me of episodes from thenseores.
It is a nice blend of fact and fiction and is a nice easy read.

Thank you, Harper Collins UK, One more Chapter and NetGalley for a copy of Before the crown by Flora Harding. This is said to be like Netflix The crown. I have not seen it so I cannot compare.
The story is centred around the relationship between seventeen-year-old Elizabeth and the courtship with Prince Philip and the years before their marriage. Elizabeth met Philip of Greece when she was thirteen and has been smitten ever since. Years later he is serving in the Navy in WW2. Elizabeth now destined to be the next queen is serving her royal duty. When the meet up again all sparks fly. Philip is different, he is daring and is fun whereas Elizabeth us more conservative. When Elizabeth invites him to stay at Windsor castle and Balmoral, the king doesn’t like Philip and thinks they are wrongly suited. But as the say opposites attract.
This is a fictional story of the Queen and Prince Philip. It was a great insight of the courtship and their lives before they got marriage and the everyday duty of a royal, different to our own. But for some part of it I found it personally went on a bit about things I didn’t much care about and because of that I gave it three stars.

If you love The Crown on Netflix, you are going to love this book. It follows the relationship between Elizabeth and Philip from their first meeting up until their wedding day. The book is extremely well written, it's so descriptive but not boring in the slightest and the dialogue is one of the best I have read as it's so engaging and realistic to the royal family. It's written in a way that is simplified so it would be great for anybody wanting to read more about the royals. One of my favourite things about this book was getting glimpses of Princess Marget, she has always been one of my favourite royals.

You do get some history throughout the book of and if you did watch The Crown recently this book is really easy to follow. And as it does follow their relationship through the years, you do get to see the characters change and grow. All of the royal family is written closely to how they are, Elizabeth is her guarded, powerful strong self and Philip has some niceness to him but also is his usual dickhead self at times.

From my knowledge of royal history and watching The Crown, this book is extremely well researched! It's similar to The Crown in that there are some real events that actually happened included and them some that are fictional.

This is essentially a prequel to the first series of The Crown and, as such it’s quite enjoyable in a fluffy sort of way. The “characters” are, of course familiar, although at times I felt the author had the protagonists as they appear in The Crown in mind rather than the real-life people when writing. Various characters appeared in the book for no real reason, it would appear, other than that they are in The Crown.

Having said this, I did rattle through it and enjoyed it for its fluffiness, which we all need at times!

Anyone who is a diehard fan of the Crown is going to adore this book, but anyone who hasn’t seen the series might be left slightly confused in places.

Thanks so much for my review copy.

I really enjoyed this book. It's a fictional version of the early relationship between Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip. The author has put her own spin on the feelings of the 2 young people and it was a real joy to read. It fascinates me to think of our Queen as a young girl in love, wondering if the handsome Philip could really love her, or does he just want a secure lifestyle. If you've enjoyed the TV series 'The Crown' you will certainly enjoy this book. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
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I LOVED this book. The story flowed beautifully and I loved seeing Elizabeth and Phillip come into their own as a couple. I’d love to see the author write more about them and continue their story!

I picked up a book earlier this year called The Queen’s Secret, which was billed as “a novel of England’s WWII queen” and was super disappointed in it. THIS was the book I was hoping to read.

We follow Elizabeth and Philip through their earliest meetings to their wedding at Westminster Abbey. I was hoping for a little more plot after the wedding and before Elizabeth became queen, but the wedding made a great end to this story.

This book is a sweet love story and a quick read.

This historical fiction book had me at the word "crown" in the title! I loved this story of the courtship of Prince Phillip and Queen Elizabeth. I kept wondering if it really happened this way. Did he really say that? Did she feel that way? I guess Elizabeth will keep the details to herself. This was a very entertaining book that I enjoyed very much.

I grabbed BEFORE THE CROWN because of the sumptuous cover (so like Queen Claire Foy). And the story of Elizabeth and Philip’s early courtship ... swoon!

I’m a royal junkie and this fictional retelling was everything I hoped for and more.

It’s 1943 at Windsor Castle. The gorgeous duo are falling in love. But he’s foreign and deemed unfit as a future prince as war threatens Britain’s existence. How do they overcome the thorny obstacles to marriage?

Suggest you take this entrancing book, berry scones, clotted cream, and a steaming cuppa to your fave comfy spot and dig in. Bliss!

5 of 5 Stars

Pub Date 17 Sep 2020

Thanks to the author, Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter, and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.

#BeforetheCrown #NetGalley

‘Before the Crown’ is a novel based on the lives of Prince Phillip and the Queen (then Princess Elizabeth) in the years leading up to their wedding. This is definitely a book that fans of ‘The Crown’ on Netflix and the film ‘A Royal Night Out’ will love. It shows the royal family not so much as just figures of state as we know them but as humans who are expected to take on a certain role which has its ups and it’s downs.
I found reading this really interesting and learned a lot about Prince Philip that I had no idea about it, it definitely did a good job of telling his story.
This was well researched and written in an extremely readable way that kept me turning the pages. I enjoyed how Harding explored the ideas of duty versus personal feelings, expectations versus reality and what it must be like to be royal.
A fantastic book.

It's tough to write a version of this story that we haven't heard before, but for the most part, 'Before the Crown' succeeds. The title of the book says it all: we follow the youthful relationship between then-Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip, years before their story is typically covered. It's an intriguing concept, and the book flips back and forth between their perspectives to give us insights into what each is feeling.
The only problem? The infamous emotional repression of the royal family. Even when we're in the middle of reading about Elizabeth and Philip's emotions, those emotions are largely muted and uncertain. It's clear this is meant to be a story about two people slowly falling in love after choosing each other out of duty, but the spark doesn't always ignite. I found myself rooting for them to be together more because of information I brought from outside the book, rather than how they were portrayed on the page. Still, it's a charming and enjoyable read and definitely worth another look!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

If you’re a fanof The Crown, then this is a book for you.

It’s set from the year 1943 sees, following the love story of Princess Elizabeth and Phillip, giving an insight before she became Queen.

I felt like I was at Windsor Castle, a place I’d love to visit.

A story that was so beautifully written and the author had researched well too. Another book you don’t wish to end.

Recommend it.

This is an incredible piece. So beautifully written and stunning in every way. I absolutely loved it.

what an interesting read!

I am way more interested in the British royal families than I should be. and this book made me so happy.

I didn't know much about this time in history and the writing was so good that at times I didn't know if it was fact or fiction

would definitely recommend this book, it's such a beautiful read

Who wouldn't love this story between Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip of Greece at the time, of course we all now know as the Duke of Edinburgh.
We are transported to 1943, when seventeen year old Princess Elizabeth is desperate to see Prince Philip.
They had briefly been introduced a few years back and she had been keen on him.

I learned so much from the research the author did for this book and all of my questions were answered that I had often wondered about in watching the Queen now in real life.

I enjoyed how Philip did Marry for love even though the Mountbattens pushed their union and they have survived through allsorts together. I could imagine the events taking place at Windsor Castle and felt it was a wonderful insight to our Queen.

Lots of humour was portrayed in Philips character which I imagine is still there today. Trying to fit in place from being a sailor albeit a little cheeky, to fit into the mould that the King required.

The wedding sounded spectacular and I had to stop and look for photos on the internet. Ultimately even though they hold such great importance it's still the marriage of a man and woman in love. A simple love story.

Once I started to read this book I had a hard time putting it down, it's a beautiful romance and it captivated me from start to finish.
This is a wonderful historical fiction book, I loved every page and would more than recommend it. Thank you.

Thank you NetGalley and One More Chapter a division of Harper Collins Publishers Limited 2020 for a copy of Before the Crown in exchange for my honest review.

This book was absolutely brilliant. Right up there with the short list of best books I've read this year.

The story starts off at Windsor Castle in December 1943 with a 17 year old Princess Elizabeth telling her sister Princess Margaret that a prince should be: "brave, witty, charming and handsome." Princess Margaret feels that: "Lilibet, you're going to be Queen of England one day. You are NOT 'lots of people'!"

Prince Philip is 22 years old and his Uncle Dickie Mountbatten tells him that: "Lilibet will be Queen one day, make yourself agreeable to her, you owe it to the family." Prince Philip finds Princess Elizabeth to be "cool and reserved."

The King and Queen wish Elizabeth to marry an aristocrat from a similar background (someone who enjoys hunting, fishing, and shooting) in order to prevent a repeat of what happened when her Uncle David chose his love of Mrs. Simpson over duty to the country. The King does not wish Philip as a suitor for Elizabeth as she's very young and not had a chance to meet other young men. Philip they feel is not "one of us."

On May 8, 1945 as people celebrate the end of the war Elizabeth begs the King to allow her and Margaret to slip out on the mall and become part of the crowd. She longs to look up at the balcony and cheer along with the crowd "We want the King."

The Queen's brother David Bowes-Lyon goes out of his way to make Philip feel as unwelcome as possible.

Due to the Royal Marriages Act of 1772 Elizabeth needs the King's permission to marry until she is 25 years old. Margaret tells Elizabeth that "if you refuse to be Papa's heir, then they would be left with me, and we all know what a disaster THAT would be." The King finally agrees to allow Elizabeth and Philip to marry but they must wait 6 months to announce their engagement.

In October 1946, the King decides that they will go as a family on a Royal Tour of South Africa for 3 months. They will depart on the 1st of February and Elizabeth will spend her 21st birthday in April in South Africa. By the time they return from the tour it will be 9 months and the King and Queen were hoping that Elizabeth would change her mind about marrying.

During her birthday address, Princess Elizabeth makes the most memorable speech of her life. "I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong."

Philip in order to fit into the Royal family renounced his title of Prince of Greece and was simply known as Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten.

When Princess Elizabeth meets Philip's mother Princess Alice she gives them the one item that she had saved, her tiara. She wants Philip to use the jewels from it to make Princess Elizabeth's engagement ring.

Before the wedding the King bestows upon Philip the titles of: Philip, Baron of Greenwich, Earl of Merioneth and Duke of Edinburgh He is also made Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter.

As opposed as the King and Queen were to the marriage of Elizabeth and Philip, they have had one of the longest and most successful marriages. The book ends with Elizabeth arriving at the altar of Westminster Abbey. The only thing that would have made the book better was if it had continued to the point where Elizabeth becomes Queen.

This book is worth much more than 5 stars in my opinion.

Thank you Net Galley for this ARC. I really enjoyed this novel. It depicts Princess Elizabeth and Prince Phillip before their marriage. Although this story is fiction, it had wonderful snippets of their true life happenings. I found myself doing a bit of research for fun.

This was a very good fictional read about a famous courtship between then Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip.
The blending of fact and fiction was very well done, making it a very interesting read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins U.K. for an advance copy of this book to review.