This is an intriguing story of what Diana Spencer may have been thinking, leading up to her marriage to Prince Charles. Also included in this book is the tale of Princess Charlotte, the lost queen. I really enjoyed how the author told both stories, having Diana reading Charlotte’s journal, blending one part of the story into the other.

As the author acknowledges, this is her idea of what may have been going on in these women’s minds and is purely fiction, yet, it is a believable adaptation and one I thoroughly enjoyed.

I did find the book slow in the beginning but once I got into Charlotte’s story I didn’t want it to end. Her half of the book was more interesting to me as we have all heard so many different stories about Diana. Overall it is a lovely book.

An interesting take on one very famous Princess, and one who has largely been forgotten. The novel gives a speculative, behind-the-scenes look at what the months leading up to Diana Spencer's wedding to the Prince of Wales in 1981 were like for her. Interspersed with Diana's story is that of Princess Charlotte of Wales, the only daughter of King George IV. From a historical fiction perspective, Charlotte's story was interesting and well written, bringing to light a hugely popular person in her own time who has largely been forgotten. A good read, but some readers may find the repeated incidents of Princess Diana's bulimia triggering or disturbing. As a part of her life that Diana freely shared, I think including it is appropriate to foster better understanding, but nonetheless may be hard to read for some.

When I first started to read this book, I thought it was going to be more about Diana’s thought while reading the journal, but it was almost like two different (yet similar) stories being told at once. I did not see a secure connection, except that both women were not what the public eye thought of them and they were both seemingly progressive. The book was well written, however; I would have liked to have read more about Diana and possibly a separate book about Charlotte.

This was an interesting read. Who knew that Princess Diana had an ally in history? I knew nothing of Princess Charlotte so this was nice to discover. The novel is more about Charlotte but she is such an interesting character that it was fascinating to read about. Ive not read many novels about Princess Diana and the novel details her life as she prepares to marry Charles. You feel like shouting No don't do it! But then there would have been no Harry or William I guess. A good historical novel with a nice nod to Diana.

This was really enjoyable and a very different read for me - I usually steer away from anything historical fiction since I find that I just simply don't enjoy it that much.

I did enjoy this one though.

The parallels between Charlotte and Diana were interesting and enjoyable to read. However, I have to be honest - if you know even a fraction about Princess Diana's life - this book may feel dull and repetitive since it is hard to be "creative" about such an icon.

All in all this was a great story, but once again a historical fiction read that I liked, but didn't love.

Trigger warnings: bulimia, stillborn baby, death of a spouse

Diana Spencer, future Princess of Wales and "the people's princess," sees a painting of Charlotte, Princess of Wales in Buckingham Palace. Diana is intrigued by the portrait and wants to know more about her life. A researcher gives Diana a copy of Charlotte's diary and the two princesses' tales intertwine.

Diana is painted as a naïve, lonely girl obsessed with looking fat in photos. Her bulimia stems from wanting to look skinny on her wedding day. Although these may be facts about the young Princess of Wales, the portrayal seems very two-dimensional.

Princess Charlotte of Wales will be Queen of England one day, but her life is far from charmed. Her father, the Prince Regent, despises her and keeps her away from court functions; her mother needs Charlotte's protection from divorce.

There are many parallels between Charlotte and Diana -- both are beloved by the common people, they are lonely in their position as princess, and both are romantics at heart. Those who know history know that neither woman's story will end well.

(minor spoilers ahead but honestly everyone knows Diana's story)

Charlotte's story ends with her death, while Diana's ends with her wedding. Ending the book on this point in Diana's history is an attempt to end the book in a hopeful way, but in reality Diana's story is far from a happy one.

Recommended for royal watchers and British historical fiction fans.

I had never heard of Princess Charlotte so her part in the book was fascinating. Reading Lady Diana's part int he book was like reading the script from The Crown so not very interesting. But Princess Charlotte stole my heart and I had to read up more on her. I think its difficult to write anything new about Lady Diana because she is such an iconic figure in our history and unless there is anything new about her, everything else seems repetitive. The parallel drawn between their lives was good.

I really enjoyed this book. The premise was very original and the back and forth between time was easy to follow. The character of Charlotte was well developed and easy to like. However I found that there were sections that were repetitive to the point of being annoying, there were misused words, and some scenes with Diana seemed to come out of the crown.

It is the build up to Diana;s wedding to Prince Charles. She’s worried whether they are compatible. Whilst living in Buckingham palace she begins reading the memories of Princess Charlotte. The original People’s Princess. The story is told in two timelines with the two women.

I had never heard of Charlotte before this book. So it was a wonderful insight into the woman who wanted to change the monarchy. And whole death changed the destiny for the windsors.

I found this a thoroughly enjoyable book. A very easy and quick read. Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to see an arc.

Diana is engaged to Charles and finds a portrait of Princess Charlotte of Wales and asks about her. Diana is given a diary of Charlotte's that she reads and relates to.

fictional account of Princess Diana's life at the palace after she becomes engaged to Prince charles, she finds a diary written by Princess Charlettee of wales, interesting fictional account.

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley. I'm not super interested in the Royals, but my sister and I were talking on the phone during college when Princess Di passed away so that memory led to me requesting this book.
I thought this book was just going to be about Diana, but it actually goes back and forth between her and Princess Charlotte who lived more than a hundred years before Diana. They had a lot in common and unfortunately both had tragic endings to their stories as well. It was quite interesting to read some of the behind the headlines type stories about Diana. The writing style was really quite lovely and pulled me in from the first paragraph.

The people’s princess is a story of the royal family’s ability to repeat history. Two deaths… two princess.. and a whole lot of speculation.


What did I like? I thought this was just Diana’s story but it also included another princess.. from a hundred years earlier. Princess Charlotte and Princess Diana both share a tortured story and it kind of makes you wonder if being royal is really worth it.

Would I recommend or buy? I wasn’t too much into Charlotte’s story but Diana’s was absolutely heart rending. This book is for royal family lovers.

I received a complimentary copy to read and voluntarily left a review. Three and a half stars rounded up.

The People's Princess by F. Harding, published by Harper Collins UK / One More Chapter is a historical fiction, not a biography.
Two princesses, two fates.
One of them, the Princess of Wales, Princess Charlotte. Her story is set in the early 18 hundereds - and another Princess of Wales, Princess Diana, her story set in the late 19 hundereds. Both have a lot in common and sometimes history repeats itself.
An exquisite, intriguing story, unputdownable. I was connected with the characters right from the start. Fell in love with storyline, twists and turns. And while I knew the fate of one of the princesses, the other one was a mystery to me. But she became more than history fiction. I really, really loved the growth of Charlotte. Loved reading about her life, her marriage, her love. An emotional read that had me in tears more than one time. I recommend this gem of a story, 5 stars.

A very interesting parallel story of Princess Diana and Princess Charlotte whom I have never heard of. The two women share some similarities in their lives and it's intriguing to simulate between them. I really enjoyed learning about Charlotte and believe she was just ahead of her time. A must read for any monarchy historical fiction fan. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publishers for an e-arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review

I liked this book, but it couldn’t decide whether it wanted to be about Diana or a Regency princess I didn’t know anything about. . Not saying it couldn’t have been about both, it just didn’t seem like a very clear narrative path. 3.5 rounded up

This is a story that will appeal to any fan of Princess Diana. It truly brings her to life, and makes us empathize with her over the struggles her marriage brought to here. And the idea of contrasting her life with that of a previous princess makes history relevant by showing us that whatever we suffered through has been done before, and that we are not alone. I highly recommend this book -whether or not you admired Princess Diana before, you will be a fan of hers after spending time with her in this story.

This is a really interesting take on two interesting women in the Royal family.
Whilst I didnt learn anything new about the Diana story, the comparison of her and Charlottes story was a clever take on the women.
Early 1800s are rarely portrayed so I enjoyed this aspect in particular, where it was educational and a sweet, poignant story.
Well researched, and very thoughtful.

Wow! This book is phenomenal! It is moving, thought-provoking, heartwarming, heart-wrenching, and so much more. Whenever I picked up "The People's Princess", I was whisked back in time, and went on such an incredibly emotional journey with these stories.

Flora Harding is such an amazing author! Her passion for what and who she is writing about it so clear, and I can only imagine the amount of research Ms. Harding must have done for this novel. She brilliantly brings to life two time periods in history, and seamlessly weaves between them. Her writing style is visceral vivid, and detailed, and I truly feel like, as the reader, that I was immersed in the world of this book.

This is a dual-timeline novel, taking place in both the earlier part of the 1800s surrounding the life of Charlotte, Princess of Wales, and the latter part of the 1900s surrounding the life of Lady Diana Spencer, who soon marries Prince Charles and becomes Diana, Princess of Wales. As Diana is preparing for her wedding, she comes across a portrait of a young woman. She soon finds out that woman is Charlotte, Princess of Wales, and Diana wants to learn more about her. In the book, a diary of Charlotte's has been found, and Diana is given a copy to read. She begins to read and learn's more about Charlotte's story, and Diana feels connected to her in many ways.

There are many similarities between the two women. Both want to find happiness and love, and to do good and make a positive impact on those around them. As the reader, I truly feel like I got to know both of them. I understood their wants, needs, and fears, and my heart felt for them both in moments of happiness, sadness, and everything in between.

I knew more about Diana than Charlotte at the start of reading this book, I now very much want to do more research on both women, and learn more about their lives as well.

If you enjoy historical fiction, I highly recommend this book! I found myself drawn into the story from the first page to the last, and did not want to put this book down. I so look forward to reading what Ms. Harding writes next.

Thank you so much to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for the ARC of this book, it is incredible. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers One More Chapter for the opportunity to read this novel.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this novel, so was pleasantly surprised to find myself swept along, particularly with Princess Charlotte’s story. So little is known of this remarkable young Princess; it is a very moving tale of how she was mistreated by her parents, her strength of will, and her loves. A truly courageous individual, only to die after childbirth. Diana Spencer’s tale is based on fact imbedded with the author providing an insight into the thoughts and feelings of a young woman on the verge of joining the Royal Family. In all honesty I had expected to be reading more about Diana than Charlotte, based on the title for this book, but was more than happy to drift into the world of the early 1800s, than the 1980s.