3 stars for THE PEOPLE'S PRINCESS by Flora Harding, out March 31st, 2022.

This historical fiction novel has two POV's -- Charlotte, the queen of England that never was, and Princess Diana.

In the early 1800s, Charlotte was the heir to the throne as her parents' only child. As her time for the throne gets closer, the pressure for her to get married mounts. We follow Charlotte along as she navigates this challenge and through a tragedy, never gets to be Queen. In fact, it got pushed to another line in the family tree that gave us the Royal Family the UK has today. Princess Diana has gotten what she always has wanted -- to marry Charles and to be royal. But she soon realizes, it's not all it's cracked up to be and cracks begin to form.

When I saw that this novel featured Princess Diana, I knew I had to request it. I had also read and enjoyed Flora Harding's previous work, BEFORE THE CROWN. This novel unfortunately didn't exceed my expectations. It was somewhat interesting to learn about Charlotte's story as I didn't even know she existed before reading this novel but most of the time, I just didn't feel invested in her story. Her POV took up the majority of the book so it weighed the novel down for me. I was always relieved when I came across a Princess Diana chapter. I'd love a novel that centered more on her, but I did think it was unique to bring Charlotte into the story.

I look forward to sharing this title with our community, as they love royal plotlines and may use it as a monthly pick for our community's book club.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers UK for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book covers Princess Diana's time from becoming engaged to being married. Being lonely and cooped up in Buckingham palace she starts to read the diaries of another Princess of Wales, Princess Charlotte.
Princess Charlotte was being forced into a marriage she didn't want and she rebelled against it. Her father more or less imprisoned her in a palace until she found a husband.
I found this to be such a tragic story. This poor girl was surrounded by people who didn't care about her and only her servants loved her.
The story of Diana I have read many times before . If you are going to write about Diana then something has to be new about it, nothing new here. It's like a repeat of TheCrown TV series.
The story of Charlotte saved this book for me or I would have given up reading it.
If you don't know much about Diana and you're interested you will enjoy this book. I'm glad I read it for the story of Charlotte whom I knew nothing about.

Not only was this book a great read, I was totally fascinated with it. Yes, having watched "The Crown" and read and watched many documentaries about Diana and Charles, this novel was so much more than that. Bringing Princess Charlotte of Wales into the story made even more interesting. A well written novel thanks to Ms. Harding and one I would totally recommend. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

Shortly after her engagement to Prince Charles, Princess Diana is left to her own devices within Buckingham Palace. Bored and lonely, her interest is suddenly piqued when she happens upon a portrait of Princess Charlotte of Wales. Who was she? What was her place in the royal family? What will be hers?

After such inquiries within the palace, a staff official presents Diana with Princess Charlotte’s diary charting back to the 1800’s. Curious to find out more about this young princess, Diana delves into the pages with great fervor. Within the diary, Diana finds a kindred spirit. Someone from centuries past, who bore similar heartaches.

A story about two young women trying to find their way while yearning for something much more than a royal title….love.

For those who are fans of Princess Diana, the Crown, historical fiction or beautifully written books…. This one is for you!

Thank you to @netgalley @harpercollinsuk @onemorechapterhc #floraharding for the opportunity to read this in exchange for a honest review.

I'm a fan of The Crown and I love period dramas that bring to life the stories of forgotten kings and queens of old, so I picked up this book and I'm glad I did! It's an easy read that kept me interested until the last page. My favorite chapters were the ones dedicated to Charlotte, Princess of Wales. I had never heard of her and I had to look her up after reading The People's Princess.

With thanks to the author, Harper Collins UK and Netgalley for the ARC.

As a lover of the royal family, all things royal, and of course Princess Diana this was just IT for me. I literally loved it. The dual POVs kept it so interesting. This book is definitely for lovers of the crown and all historic fiction. Would definitely recommend

I was invited to read this by the publisher having read and enjoyed the author's previous ook and it didn't disappoint.
It's a clever dual timeline book telling g the story of Princess Diana as she prepares for her marriage,as well as previous Princess of Wales Charlotte. The parallels between their lives are fascinating and Charlotte is truly a forgotten Princess. Both women are adopted by the public, find the situation overwhelming and have doubts about their marriage.
Having read Mortins book about Diana it is clear where it has influenced the story and it is sad reading of Diana defaming of when she is queen knowing what ehe future holds. I also felt sorry for Diana as she struggles with self doubt but loved the part where she promises to bring up her children knowing they are loved
A great read for royal fans or fans of historical fiction

This is a story of two English Princesses, Diane and little known Princess Charlotte. During the lead up to Diane’s wedding she reads the chronicle of Charlotte, daughter of George IVs heir presumptive. An interesting, eye opening novel.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an early review copy of "The People's Pricess" by Flora Harding.
I enjoyed this story which focuses on two princesses. One is Lady Diana. The other is Princess Charlotte of Wales from the early 1800s. Charlotte's story is told when Diana takes an interest in the portrait of Charlotte and wants to know more about her. An aide gives Diana a copy of the journal that Charlotte kept. Charlotte's story was as tragic as Diana's and ends with an early death. This is told in beginning of the book so it shouldn't spoil anything. Charlotte is kept away from society even as her society adores her. Her mother isn't very maternal and keeps her life separate from Charlotte. Charlotte's father, the Prince Regent is pretty much presented as just plain evil. He wants nothing more than to see Charlotte sent away to another country. He wants her to marry another prince and see to it that it is very hard for Charlotte to come home. She would take on the other country's identity and leave most of her English ties behind. Charlotte's story focuses on her 'chosen' family made up of her servants and her search for a marriage she could be happy in. Diana's story focuses on the weeks leading up to her wedding and her recognition that the marriage isn't as much a love match as she first believed but as a political one. Prince Charles's affection would never be more than that and he would always have others take priority in his life over Diana. When I first found out about this book I had been disappointed to learn that it wasn't about only Diana's life. But when reading it, I enjoyed the Princess Charlotte pieces much more than the Diana ones. I recommend this to historical fiction fans who appreciate a lot of quality research in their novels.

This book was super interesting to me, as a loyal historical fiction reader and junkie for the British royal family. It had everything I like - dual timelines, multiple POVs, and real people reimagined. I didn't know anything about Princess Charlotte of Wales before reading this book, and have since researched her on the internet - so interesting! The Diana angle was pretty similar to how she was depicted in the most recent season of The Crown, so if you're into that, then this book is for you. This was a fast read for me and I finished in a little over a day.
I really enjoyed this and would recommend it to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK / One More Chapter for the ARC!

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for the copy of this book. I like historical fiction, but this one kind of fell flat for me. The dual timelines were two separate stories and didn't ever intersect - Charlotte's story was a lot about her 'courtships' and her servants and we didn't get any of that in Diana's story so I was unable to draw parallels between them. The parallels are what I think make dual timelines effective.
I didn't connect to the writing style even though I appreciated that Charlotte's story was written in more formal writing.
This was an okay read though and I liked learning about Charlotte.

I loved this novel being a Diana fan. I thought it was an absolute treat to read. I also loved how the author tackled dual timelines and similarities between the two princesses and yet handled the stories both sensitively and accurately from my historical point of view. Flora Harding is an absolute treat for any historical fiction fans! She’ll make you cry, laugh and think with thoughtful prose full of emotion. At the end of the novel, you’ll wish you could be wearing a ball gown running through an empty Georgian ballroom living your best Regency life. I read this novel half the day and could not put it down. I love the idea of exploring other members of the royal family that have since been forgotten and bringing their stories to life for a new generation to learn from they are predecessors mistakes and actions, almost as if it is used to be a tale of caution. I wished Charlotte could be my best friend! I fully imagined her walking side-by-side with Diana as she navigated the trials and tribulations of living in Buckingham Palace with both a monarchy, a new phone celebrity fame and the suffocating hold the establishment has on its occupants to make sure that dignity and a good image are upheld despite what happens behind closed doors. Fans of the Crown and the series Victoria will love this vibrant novel about living in a gilded cage and that not all fairytales end in happily ever after no matter how hard you try

I am a lover of the Royals and having read “The Crown” by Flora Harding, I welcomed the opportunity to read “The People’s Princess”. It is no mistaking that this story is about Princess Diana, with a bit of history mixed with fiction. There are two timelines in this story…one Princess Diana’s engagement that leads up to her wedding and that of Princess Charlotte of Wales who was a well-loved princess in her own right.

As with “The Crown”, this book was so engaging and fascinating. It was well-written by Ms. Harding. I did think that some other details could have been included about Princess Charlotte that could have made it much more interesting during the time when she lived. This was a nice story that gives you an interesting perspective of both women and their experiences. I think this is a worthy story for those who want to become familiar with Charlotte’s story. However, I do think both their stories could have been standalone. A recommended read.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for this ARC in exchange for my fair and honest review.

🌹 The People’s Princess 👑
By Flora Harding
Publisher: One More Chapter (March 31.2022)

I picked this one up in @netgalley because of its reference to “fans of” Jennifer Robson & Pam Jenoff. I wasn’t sure if it was truth or fiction but as most historical fiction goes, it’s the author bringing figures of the past into reality even if they have to fill in the blanks at exact conversations etc.

Everyone knows the story of Princess Diana. Or they think they do. I’ve read other Royal memoirs over the years (thank you Gram for your love of the monarchy) , but none that read quite like this one.

History mixed with fiction. Mixed with a jumping POV between Diana, the Princess of Wales, and Princess Charlotte, a lesser known Royal from the early 1800’s.

I feel in love with Charlotte, rooted for her and was angered by her father. I loved the diary giving confidence to Diana a century later… it’s just hard knowing that the optimism of a young Diana resulted in a young death of both her dream of being a princess and the reality of never having a true love story 💞

I read this in a day. It was that easy to sink into. Thank you to the publishers for the gifted copy in return for an honest review

An interesting dual timeline read. Princess Diana’s feelings are explored, in this fictional work as she approaches her wedding. In contrast the reader is introduced to Princess Charlotte, who lived before her and whose diary Diana is reading. The feelings of both women are portrayed in an emotional, insightful and educational read.

The People’s Princess by Flora Harding is a dual time-line novel which begins by focusing on the engagement of Diana to Prince Charles in 1981 and her early days at Buckingham Palace. Diana stumbles upon a diary written in the 1800s by Princess Charlotte. The two princesses though living decades apart experienced many of the same feelings and even experiences of royal life. While I was already familiar with Princess Diana, I had not heard of Princess Charlotte prior to reading this book and it provided a very interesting and emotional glimpse into both woman’s experiences.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Sigh.

I really wanted to like this book more than I ended up liking it.

I think that if it had stuck with Princess Charlotte of Wales' story this would have been a far superior story as I found her story fascinating and not as much well known. Even being framed with a lighter touch from Diana I think would have worked but I found the Diana bits to be tough to get through.

For those that are familiar with Diana's story I think they will also be bored with her parts and find it a bit overdone but Charlotte's story is gripping and well worth the read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

At first I had varying views on this book. The parts about Diana felt like the author just watched the crown and read a biography on her and regurgitated that information. However, once the story started going about Charlotte, I couldn't put it down! I loved learning about her and her love Leo. Only giving it four stars because I feel the Charlotte story could have been a stand alone book, Diana's commentary isn't really needed.

“The People’s Princess” by Flora Harding, is a second royal family historical fiction book by this author. This is a dual-timelines book following Lady Diana (soon to be Diana, Princess of Wales) and Charlotte, Princess of Wales. Diana’s story takes place in 1981, after her engagement but ending on the day of her marriage to Charles, Prince of Wales. Diana notices a portrait of Charlotte in a hallway and is told “she’s the Queen who never was.” Diana is given loan of a journal Charlotte kept for a few years, including her own engagement (a negotiated first and then a marriage with another man), wedding, and leading up to her pregnancies.

I thought that Ms. Harding did a great job in tying the two stories together. This is a work of fiction as no one knows what was going through Charlotte’s mind at the times mentioned, but it was done in a very believable manner. The author also kept the stories separate so following who was speaking when was easy to follow. It was easy to see similarities between the two women along with some nice contrasts.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers UK for this ARC. This book draws from two time lines. During the engagement of Diana to Prince Charles, she finds herself wandering the Palace and comes upon a picture of Princess Charlotte, the Queen that never was. She requests information on her life and is given a diary she wrote in the 1800's. Diana soon finds out what all Diana and Princess Charlotte have a lot in common. They are both greatly love by the people and both searching for the love of their life. Information given early on, Princess Charlotte dies too young while giving birth to her first child. Charlotte was to be the next Queen of England but she died before her father forever ending the Hanover family reign. The crown was then passed to her 1st cousin - Victoria. This book ends with Diana walking down the aisle and we all know how that ends. If you watch The Crown, this book was a lot of the same information - Camilla, bulimia and Charles' lack of love. I really enjoyed this book but I also love English Royalty history. #ThePeoplesPrincess #FloraHarding #Mar2022