Before the Crown

Flora Harding’s Before the Crown gives an insider's view into the courtship of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip. Beautifully written and researched, Harding’s book shows the two in a surprising and realistic light. Just lovely! I highly recommend if you are a fan of the Royal Family and The Crown. I look forward to Flora Harding’s next book.

Before the Crown by Flora Harding tells the fictional courtship of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. If you are a fan of The Crown, you will devour this story! Even though I knew the ending, I could not put the book down.

Flora Harding has done her research to transport us back in time to the courting days of Queen Elizabeth and the handsome, ladies man, Prince Philip. If the story is accurate-and it seems the author tried to stay as close as possible to facts, then I can't help but feel sorry for them. First, Queen Elizabeth barely gets to pick who she marries and then isn't really allowed to spend any time with him. I would not have guessed the long-lasting marriage these two had would have started out this way. If you like slow burn, character-driven books, or you're a fan of anything to do with the Royal family, you will enjoy this book. I loved the cover!

Before the Crown was such a delightful read! This is a very light romance fictionalizing the courtship of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten, who was Prince of Greece at the time. This book reads like a prequel to the show The Crown, in both content and tone and I found it utterly charming.

The author did a fabulous job of bringing the reader into the life and thoughts of both Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip prior to their marriage! She weaves fact with fiction in this insightful historical story about their courtship and early romance. Seeing the younger Princess Elizabeth stand tall in her choice to choose love in her royal partner with grace and dignity was inspiring. This novel is beautifully written and is interesting from beginning to end. I highly recommend this novel to anyone that enjoys reading about the royal family!

Stand tall… Choose love…

** Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review! **

#PamelaReads2021 #100BooksIn2021 #BeforeTheCrown #RoyalFamily #PrincessElizabethAndPrincePhilip #NetGalleyARC

This was so beautifully written. I find the British royalty fascinating to learn and read about and this was a very sweet novel about Elizabeth and Phillip before they had to become "the" royal couple.

This was a cute fun heartfelt read but it also made me feel very sad for the queen. For being ready to settle for a loveless marriage but then ending up falling in love and losing her partner in life so recently. Sure they had 70 beautiful years but now she has no one.
But anyway this was cute.

Before the Crown tells the courtship story between Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip. Princess Elizabeth has been in love with Phillip, a Greek prince and a Navy officer, since she was a little girl. Since their first meeting, she has been writing letters to Phillip. However, Phillip does not notice her until she performs in the play, Aladdin. This novel chronicles their enduring romance that would be their foundation to a successful marriage that would last decades.

Through many non-fiction books and documentaries, I have learned about Queen Elizabeth’s relationship with her husband Prince Phillip. As a fan of the tv show, The Crown, I was disappointed that they did not show the Queen’s courtship with Phillip. Thus, I was delighted when this historical fiction novel was released because it would focus on the Queen’s courtship. This novel did not disappoint. I admired Princess Elizabeth’s tenacity. She was a woman who fought for what she wanted. She was also a mature woman and knew the weight of the responsibility that comes from being the heir to a kingdom. Therefore, Elizabeth is truly an admirable woman. I also found Prince Phillip to be the most suitable match for Elizabeth. It is not easy to marry the heir of a kingdom. While Phillip was struggling with the responsibility of marrying the future queen of England, he nevertheless supported and loved Elizabeth. Thus, their romance was very sweet.

Overall, this novel gives an in-depth look at Queen Elizabeth’s early life. The characters seem very complex. The story is very well-written and meticulously researched! There were some scenes that I thought were unnecessary. Still, Before the Crown was a very short and simple story! I recommend this novel not only for fans of the tv show but also fans of the Royals! Fans of The Queen’s Secret, A Most English Princess, and The Other Windsor Girl will enjoy this novel! Before the Crown is the perfect novel to read during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee!

A lovely romance between Queen Elizabeth (before she was queen) and Prince Phillip (before he was a prince). Their early young romance, and lack of romance was refreshingly real. I enjoyed reading this perspective on their lives. For fans of The Crown and royal gossip, this is a nice addition.

I absolutely love reading about the royal family and with the recent passing of Queen Elizabeth and King Phillip I thought it was time to read the tale of their start. I absolutely loved this book. The writing style, the history behind the story and well everything worked great together. I will be adding this author to my favorites list and looking for more by her soon.