Windsor Castle,1943-A captivating historical novel of royal secrets and forbidden love.As war rages across the world, Princess Elizabeth comes face to face with the dashing naval officer she first met in London nine years before.One of the youngest first lieutenants in the Royal Navy, Philip represents everything she has always been taught to avoid. Instability. Audacity. Adventure.But when the king learns of their relationship, the suitability of the foreign prince is questioned by all at court.He is the risk she has never been allowed to take. The risk not even the shadow of the crown will stop her from taking…During WWII,Princess Elizabeth and her sister Princess Margaret spent much of their time at Royal Lodge in the grounds of Windsor Castle,safely away from the London bombings.From 1941-1944 they took part in Christmas pantomimes to raise funds for the Royal Household Wool Fund,which supplied knitting wool to make comforters for soldiers fighting.In 1943,the Princesses appeared in a production of Aladdin,written and produced by Mr Tanner,of the Royal School.In Feb 1945,Elizabeth was appointed as an honorary second subaltern in the ATS,and trained as a driver and mechanic.On VE Day,she and Margaret mingled anonymously with the celebratory crowds.Princess Elizabeth went in 1947 on her first overseas tour,accompanying her parents through South Africa.During a tour,in a broadcast to the British Commonwealth on her 21st birthday,she made the following pledge:"I declare that my whole life,shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family."After another meeting at the Royal Naval College in July 1939,13yo Elizabeth fell in love with Philip,and they began to correspond.Their engagement was announced on 9th July 1947.The engagement wasn't without controversy;Philip had no financial standing,was foreign-born(though a British subject who served in the RN),and had sisters who had married German noblemen with Nazi links.Before the marriage,Philip gave up his Greek and Danish titles,and adopted the style Lt Mountbatten.Prior to the wedding,he was made HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.And the rest is history.

Harding has no doubt done a bit of research to tell the fictionalized account of the life of Princess Elizabeth II and the naval officer and prince of Greece, Philip Mountbatten. The book details the early stages of their courtship, engagement and eventual wedding. This started off a bit slow for me, but picked up speed towards the end.

Flora Harding tells the story of Queen Elizabeth II before she becomes queen. Harding delivers a look at Elizabeth and Philip as their relationship grows.

Harding's research is significant. I admire Harding’s ability to piece this story together. Unfortunately, the novel is slow-moving and, for me, quite dull. I didn’t think that would be possible with my fervent love of learning about the royals.

I do need to admit one of my faults. I have preconceived notions of the personalities of the royal family. So, this novel throws bricks at my mindset. When I read this book, I saw Elizabeth as a simp and Philip as an arrogant bastard. Elizabeth should be tough as nails and put up with no-nonsense. But, instead, she spends all her time trying to keep Philip happy.

The end saves the novel. I was angry throughout the book, but the ending caught me off guard. I wasn’t expecting the turn, but it thrilled me. Elizabeth became the woman that I knew she could be. Her show of strength is when she wins everything she deserves.

I award Before the Crown 3 out of 5 stars. I had a hard time separating this fictional account from my personal views. Which inevitably contributed to my lack of enjoyment of the novel. However, the prose is excellent. I recommend this novel to my romance-loving friends.

I have a confession: I am not a monarchist – at all. #voteonerepulbicforAustralia I don’t dislike the Queen and the royals, I just don’t see their point or relevance for Australia and our modern values. So, with that in mind, I have to say… Harding must be basically a genius because I LOVED this book.

You might be wondering why I wanted to read this book then. Well, another confession is that I picked it because of its gorgeous cover. I mean, seriously, that’s a great cover.

The plot is obvious. Young princess Elizabeth, heir to the throne of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth dominion, falls for Prince Philip of Greece. Philip is a bit of a wild child with enough controversies within his family to send her dad, King George VI, into a frenzy. Despite knowing the outcome (Liz and Phil have been married for 73 years now, after all), I couldn’t stop turning the pages, so engrossed was I with this story.

I must say that Harding wrote the book in a very respectful way. In particular, I think she wrote Philip well. Over the years he’s been accused of a lot of things and said a lot of things which most consider inappropriate. Harding seemed to show this side of his character but in an empathetic way which made him a very likeable ‘character’. I did learn a lot about Philip’s early life (no, I haven’t watched more than a handful of eppies of The Crown yet either) and although it’s technically a piece of fiction, there must have still been a lot of research and fact checking involved in writing this book.

On that point, even though I was horrified that I was relishing a romance about two people who are still alive, I did like the way I could quickly google anything which came up in the novel, thus adding an extra layer of enjoyment. I couldn’t help but notice when I googled various images, Elizabeth and Philip always looked like they were smiling and laughing together in every photo. Up until now, I have never considered Elizabeth and Philip a particularly romantic pairing, despite their marriage’s longevity, but Harding even made me change my mind about this.

Doing a bit more googling, I found that Flora Harding is a pseudonym and she also writes as Jessica Hart and Pamela Harshorne. I’ll definitely be checking out some other of her titles.

All in all, if a big pro-Republic chick like me can love Before the Crown, it’s got to be a high recommendation. 4 1/2 out of 5

Before the Crown was a fast and enjoyable read. The beginning was a little slow and didn’t capture my attention as much but by the end I couldn’t put it down. I loved how the story was told through not only Elizabeth’s POV but Philip’s as well. Without his perspective I don’t think his character development would have been as good. It was nice to see how each of them processed the relationship and I think it was a very realistic view of their relationship before Elizabeth became queen. I would have liked more of the letters they wrote to each other when they were apart, but the conversations they had when they were together were great. I loved that they were open with each other and could talk about anything. I was really pulled into their relationship towards the end once Elizabeth put her foot down and made Philip think about what he really wanted. It was at this point that I was sucked in and I loved how it ended. If you love reading about the royal family, you will enjoy this read.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins Australia for the gifted copy.

I have really been enjoying historical fiction lately and this book was so good. I love reading about the Royal Family and even though this was fiction, I know that it is based on some fact. The cover image of a young Princess Elizabeth is perfect, as it makes the reader curious about the book. I love how the author focused on the time period between when Elizabeth met Philip and when they got married.

For those lovers of Netflix's The Crown, this is the perfect antidote for the long months between seasons. Set during World War 2, Before the Crown fictionalizes the relationship between Elizabeth and her prince - Phillip. Though she's not yet queen, the eyes of the world are on her and the pressure from her family is immense as she makes the decision of who she wants to marry.
I was delighted to get this glimpse into Buckingham Palace and imagine what it must've been like for young Elizabeth, a little bit smitten but very much practical as she embarks on a courtship with Phillip. I'd like to think that it honestly portrays the beginnings of what has become a lifetime of love and partnership.

Perfect for fans of the The Crown and fans of QE2 . This fantastic novel takes place before Phillip and Elizabeth’s Wedding . How they met , become engaged and eventually. Full of characters you are familiar with Margaret , the Queen Mum and others transport yourself to another place and time .

I like this book and would highly recommend reading it. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

I just finished a very royal buddy read of Before the Crown by Flora Harding. This is the perfect companion to The Crown on Netflix and offers an inside look to the early relationship between Elizabeth and Philip.

I was excited to read about the years leading up to the marriage between the princess and prince, but I was surprised at how much the book seemed to focus on Philip. Early on, he came across as pompous and unlikeable, but I had to remind myself that he was young and guided by his self-serving Uncle Dickie who treated everything as a business transaction. I would have liked more background on his family instead of just little drops here and there.

I’ve always known that Elizabeth was a dutiful daughter and knew what her future held, but it was interesting to see just how much she took her role to heart. It seems like every decision she made and every action she took was for someone other than herself. This actually made me sad for her because she even approached her relationship with Philip in the same manner. It was nice to see her hold tight to the one thing she really wanted for so many years.

Overall, if you love everything royal then you will enjoy this book. The Kindle version is available now!

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins for my advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

It is very easy to admire to imagine Claire Foy and Matt Smith as Elizabeth and Philip while I was reading. I never realized that as the future queen Elizabeth had to be the one to propose to Philip or that her father opposed her marrying at the age of 21. I did know that Philip had to give up his Greek citizenship and his place in the line of succession for both the Greek and Danish thrones. I could understand why his sisters weren't invited to the wedding since they were married to men with Nazi ties, but I still felt sympathy towards for not being able to have family because of who he was marrying. After reading this book and watching The Crown, I now want to read a few biographies on Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh.

I've always been fascinated by the royal family. Somehow we see the love story of the younger royals unfold before our eyes these past years, This is interesting to see how the Queen and Prince Phillips started as a couple. This is engaging and refreshing and tells me that if it's meant to be, it will happen, eventually. I would have to reread this one sometime.

Thanks you #netgalley and the publisher for the free copy.

The gorgeous cover of Before the Crown prepares you for the beautiful romance that lies within the pages. A story of mystery, glamour, and expectation about the love story of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. Before the Crown is a lovely romance that is sure to sweep you away.

I love reading about British royalty and this book about the courtship between then-Princess Elizabeth and Phillip Mountbatten is wonderful. While obviously a work of fiction, Harding has done her research and gives a deeper look into Phillip's early life and how it influenced the man he became. If you love The Crown, this debut novel will be right up your alley. It's a surprising love story that gives a whole new dimension to how I look at the Queen and Phillip's now 70+ year marriage.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins Australia, One More Chapter and the author for an advanced copy to review.

Thank you NetGalley and One More Chapter for an ARC of Before The Crown by Flora Harding.
Elizabeth Windsor grows up wanting to be a behind the scenes girl but is abruptly thrown into the light and center stage when her Uncle abdicates the throne. This is her story meeting the wild Phillip who steals her heart at 14 but is too shy to say anything. This is a great look at Elizabeth’s life prior to becoming the Queen and her sense of duty to fulfill that role.
#Netgalley #OneMoreChapter #BeforetheCrown

First- that cover! I thoroughly enjoyed this fictionalized account of the courtship and engagement and eventual wedding of the then Princess Elizabeth of York and Prince Philip of Greece.

I'm an avid Royal watcher and especially love the British Royal Family so this book was a real treat for me! From all my readings and watching interviews of this couple I feel that a lot of this book seemed pretty realistic. Who really knows what happens and what is said behind closed doors? I do feel Fiona Harding did a lot of good research with the story and she definitely got their two personalities down-pat!

If you love watching The Crown then I definitely feel this book is a must. You will get the backstory of Elizabeth and Philip's "romance" before the actual start of the Netflix series. My favourite part of the book was the time of the wedding. I was on pins and needles with all the little things going wrong. It's nice to know it turned out to be a glorious day and everything ended up going smoothly. I must say Elizabeth and Philip had many obstacles to overcome in order to wed. They were of a different era and there are several rumours that circulate about them. I tend to want to simply enjoy that they have reached a grand old age together and have held on steadfast and strong!

p.s. I do wish there were more interactions with the formidable Queen Mary!

I'd like to kindly thank NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishers Australia for granting me access to this Advanced Reader Copy.

Before The Crown by Flora Harding is a wonderful debut novel. This novel tells us about the courtship between Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. The story is told from Elizabeth’s and Phillip’s alternating perspectives. It did not seem at the time that Elizabeth and Phillip were not a good match. Elizabeth’s parents were against it. We learn that Phillip was penniless, his family was exiled from Greece. He was basically abandoned by his parents and his three sisters all ended up marrying high ranking Nazis officials.
From the tender age of 13 Elizabeth loved Phillip. We will never know if her love was centered in infatuation in those early years. As we know, they were married despite all obstacles, and that marriage has lasted a very long time. A part of me was impressed that Philip gave up everything to marry Elizabeth: he lost his title, his Greek citizenship, his position in the Greek and Danish succession and his surname changed to Mountbatten and then changed again upon his marriage.

I would say that the author did a tremendous amount of research regarding Philip’s story. He certainly did not have it easy. While part of the story focuses on the King’s disapproval of the match, the book never covers how intensely the Queen disapproved of Philip. Bits of the story gives us a view of Margaret, Elizabeth’s younger sister.

This is definitely a work of fiction. The conversations between the characters are well crafted from the author’s imagination. I was a little disappointed that there were no end notes telling the readers where her ‘historical’ information was derived. Despite that fact, the story was a very enjoyable read. The characters were well developed. The settings were written so beautifully the reader can easily envision the scene. The story is a fascinating look behind how Elizabeth and Philip, the couple, came to be. It is their love story. I look forward to see what Flora Harding has in store for us next. A sequel perhaps?

I would like to thank Flora Harding, HarperCollinsUK, OneMoreChapter and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Courtesy of NetGalley, I received this ARC, detailing the initial relationship of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip. This is a story of their family history and nuances, their courtship and engagement, ending with their wedding. This novel held my attention, well researched, compellingly written, and definitely an interesting aspect of the British monarchy

Flora Gardner's Before the Crown is an engaging tale of the courtship between Princess Elizabeth of England and Prince Phillip of Greece. Harding presents Elizabeth as a young woman burdened by the knowledge of the impact that her future duty as queen will have upon the life she will be able to lead. Smitten with Phillip, as she gets to know him better, she falls in love with him and hopes to marry him. Because she outranks Phillip, it falls to her to propose. But does he care about her? And if so, in what way? And then there is the matter of her parents' disapproval of the match. Elizabeth requires the approval if her father, the King, before she can marry because she is not yet 25. Can Elizabeth and Phillip reach an agreement that is acceptable not only to both of them, but also to the King and Queen?

Harding does her best to keep the story suspenseful even though nearly everyone in the English speaking world (and beyond) knows how the tale turns out. There are vivid descriptions of the time the couple spend together, and the struggles each face in trying to reach the outcome each desires. Harding particularly excels at making the reader feel the weight of the crown through her depictions of both Elizabeth and her father the King. But when all is said and done, there is not much that any writer can do about the limitations of the arc of this courtship story. It is something of a letdown to reach the end of the book and find that you know only a little bit more about the characters than you did before you started reading. If you enjoy Netflix's The Crown or are otherwise a fan of British royalty, this book is definitely for you. Recommended.

I started this before season four of @netflix #TheCrown was released but got sidetracked with #bingewatching and #Thanksgiving. I think this book would be better enjoyed by someone anxiously awaiting the next season that is still months away. Much like the complaints with the new season, I felt uncomfortable reading fictional personal reactions and emotions of people who are still alive. The #BritishMonarchy is fascinating, but their lives are their own and fact versus fiction is being confused in these modern tales. A ⭐️⭐️⭐️ read to enjoy when you are desperate for #seasonfive of #thecrownnetflix. 📚📚📚 #bookstagram #netgalley #netgalleyreview #england #queenelizabeth #royals