I loved the historical details of this story. The writing was very good and flowed well. I enjoyed learning of this relationship and the story will stay with me.
Many thanks to One More Chapter and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed this fictionalised version of Elizabeth and Philip’s long running courtship and long separations. It is beautifully written, the characterisation is so strong of all the central players, not just the couple themselves. It chimes very well with the tv drama series The Crown, and puts a bit more flesh on the bones of the early years of this unique relationship as depicted in the series. It would certainly appear to have been a very slow burning courtship, with many echoes of the difficulties experienced later by Princess Margaret and Peter Townsend. The endless list of obstacles placed in the way of the marriage would undoubtedly have defeated a lesser person than Elizabeth.
I became completely immersed in the story of Elizabeth and Philip, even though I knew the outcome.
The overwhelming feeling I have from this story is of how much our Queen has sacrificed to continue to do her duty to her subjects and her country, as she promised on her 21st birthday in her broadcast to the nation, and at what huge cost to herself, her relationships, her family.
My only slight disappointment is that the story ends with the Royal Wedding. I had hoped from the title, that it would continue until the Ascension or even till the Coronation.
An excellent read that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys reading about the Royal Family.

My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this title.

If you have been loving The Crown on Netflix, you absolutely have to treat yourself to this book. It is written with such compassion and understanding and although it is fiction, it is based on fact.
Elizabeth is a strong young woman. A woman who doesn’t have many choices in life. She is the heir to the throne and because of this certain things are expected of her. When she meets a totally unsuitable naval officer, Phillip, she starts to have feelings, and through correspondence feeling grow. Elizabeth and Philip are opposites. She take life and responsibilities seriously and lives in a palace and doesn’t have to worry about money. Although Philip is a Prince, he is penniless, with family scattered across the globe including sisters with strong ties to Nazi Germany. He has nothing to offer. It is however a very good match for him.
As we follow the beautifully written story, we see both the hearts of Elizabeth and Philip change and open to each other. We also watch a determined future Queen choose her own prince.
This is an absolutely delightful read – I really enjoyed it.

For the future queen it was love at first meeting, for Phillip it was more of family pushing him in Elizabeths direction so he could have a title with meaning.

The couple spent more time separated than together and so a lot of it is just about their lives without one another and some letters they send.

I will say at times I was turning the page desperately to see what was going to happen next, other times I was frustrated because scenes just end out of nowhere and are never continued.

The author can definitely write and I wonder if it was about another couple if it would have been more detailed and taken more creative license with conversations.

I received a free copy from the author/publisher through netgalley in return for an honest review

Oh how I adored this book. I love everything about Royalty and Flora Harding did a great job of vividly painting a picture and giving me a front seat to the life lived before becoming the Queen. Many of the books I read are about Queen Elizabeth, but this one is all about the woman Princess Elizabeth is and her relationship with Prince Phillip!

Thank you for allowing me to read this and give my honest opinion.

I am a huge fan of The Crown and I love historical fiction so I was really excited to read Elizabeth and Phillip's story before she ascends to the throne. The cover is extremely gorgeous as well.
It was a slow build for me though I loved how the author took her time to tell their love story. For Elizabeth, it was love at first sight. For Phillip, it seemed to be about convenience. But, we know from real life that their marriage has lasted.
I am not sure how much is fiction versus fact but it was well-written.
Thank you, #Netgalley.

Before the Crown is historical fiction, about then Princess Elizabeth meeting her husband-to-be, Phillip. Although it's fiction, the story is rooted in fact. It's fun to read her inner thoughts and the speculation about their lives.
This is an interesting book that historical fiction and royalty fans will love. 4 stars.


Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter for the ARC of this book, the opinions are my own and are freely given.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. A story about Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip before they truly understood what they meant to one another. A beautifully written book which gave just the right amount of detail.

Before the crown gives such an insight into the love story behind Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillips relationship, the struggles they went through both individually and as a couple.

A well written story which was interesting in places. I have given this book 3 stars because if it had been about a couple I had never heard of I probably would not have finished it. The Queen’s marriage is an interesting topic so I wanted to read about the history of it.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC of this in exchange for an honest review.

Royal/royal-ish fiction is a quickly growing genre, with more and more books featuring 19th and 20th century royals. And Before the Crown is one of the best that I've read! Harding does an excellent job of building a fictional world around very real people, and a realistic fictional world. While we will never know exactly how Elizabeth and Philip started their relationship, this is a wonderful imagining of it. I loved the King and Queen, and Margaret, as well- their personalities in Before the Crown ring true with what we know, and it made for a more developed and complex story. This is the perfect read for any fans of The Crown!

This is light and entertaining read about the beginning of the relationship between Elizabeth and Philip. It covers their growing friendship and the pressures of Royal life in a well written and obviously well researched story. It's a fascinating insight into behind the scenes of Royal life.

I really enjoyed this book. I always wondered how Queen Elizabeth's and Philip's story panned out and the author did not disappoint. I am sure there is some exaggeration but it was a fantastic portrayal and really made them both seem like normal, ordinary people as much as possible given their ranks.

A fun take on the courtship of Elizabeth and Phillip. She takes you from the moment they met until they tie the knot. I really enjoyed seeing the story from both of their perspectives. I loved how she wrote Margaret as a teenager! It definitely made me want to go and rewatch The Crown.
A little slow at times but if you are a fan of all things Royal you will enjoy this book.

I feel like the best way to describe this book is 'perfectly adequate'. Most people know the story - largely thanks to The Crown - of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip's courtship, and while I don't know how much of this is considered true and which parts have been fictionalized/reimagined, the book sort of left me wanting more. Each of the chapters - told alternatingly between Elizabeth and Philip - seem to end rather abruptly, often in the middle of scenes. There's a lot of repetition in the writing and not a lot of exploration of these two people and their characters. I did appreciate that the story was told from the perspective of the two royals, rather than some random person on the sidelines (as seems to be a common trend), but the whole book just left me wondering what it would have to offer in the canon of royal-fictional-biographies. Forgettable, ultimately, but inoffensive otherwise.

I'm a big fan of the royals and The Crown is one of my favorite TV shows. Ever since season one I’ve been dying to read a historical fiction novel based on Elizabeth and Philip’s courtship, and finally, Flora Harding has written the book of my dreams!

Before the Crown follows Elizabeth and Philip from their first meeting to their wedding. Obviously, this book is fiction so we won’t ever know the full truth of their relationship, but I thought the author portrayed these characters in a way that felt true to real life. It always takes so long to get a new season of The Crown, but this is a great book to read while you wait! Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the advance copy!

Thanks to HarperCollins UK and One More Chapter for an advanced copy of Before the Crown in exchange for my honest review.

I love all things Royal so I was excited to read Before the Crown, which is a historical fiction around the courtship of Princess Elizabeth by Prince Phillip. While most of the story is based on actual events around their early relationship, the conversations and thoughts are fictional.

It was fun to be swept up in their story and read a little bit more about them. This was a quick read and if you're a fan of the Royals or The Crown you'll love this! I only wish there was info at the end on the authors's creative license and what research she did.

I really enjoyed this fictional look into the life of QE II! The royals are a popular topic for fiction this year and I'm game for it!

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

If you enjoy The Crown on Netflix you will enjoy the book about the how Queen Elizabeth II becomes in engaged to the dashing Naval Officer, Lieutenant Philip Prince of Greece. The story tells of the uphill battle Philip had to overcome to become engaged to Elizabeth because of the monarchy’s disapproval of him. Elisabeth fell in love with Phillip when she was quite young and he was the only man she would accept. The story shows that Philip wasn’t really interested in Elizabeth and the marriage was more of convenience for him, but for Elizabeth it was love at first sight.

I wondered as I read the book, how much of the story was based on actual facts and what was the author’s imagination. Overall, I enjoyed it!

Thank you to NetGalley and OMC for the copy of ‘Before the Crown’.

I have always gravitated towards anything related to the Royal Family. This book naturally drew me in like a moth to a flame. This book is based on Princess Elizabeth and Prince Phillip leading up to their marriage and gives insight to both points of view. If you have watched The Crown on Netflix you may already know some of the back story of Queen Elizabeth and her days before the crown, however this gives a different insight to the relationship between the two. I did learn new things about Phillip’s history and just how Elizabeth’s family (except Princess Margaret) did not want her to marry Phillip. Phillip went through so much from such a young age throughout his life to get where he was as a young man who then goes on to marry Princess Elizabeth. What starts as more of a convenient arrangement between two ‘friends’ turns into a loving relationship, although not perfect and definitely prone to the scrutiny of the spotlight. I can’t imagine how tense this would make life day in and day out, and yet they are still are together today. I loved the detail Ms. Harding provides when describing scenery or the details leading up to the royal wedding. I am always eager for more back story surrounding Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip and Ms. Harding did not disappoint. Overall I found this an easy and enjoyable read that fed my cravings for all things Royal Family.

This was an enjoyable book. It gives you some insight to Elizabeth’s life before she was married or became Queen.
I’m not sure how much is true or just fiction but I couldn’t help but think Phillip would understand how anyone would feel marrying into the royal family. I think historical fiction fans will enjoy this book
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy