Must read for fans of the Crown and anyone interested in the 70_ year romance between Queen Elizabeth II & Prince Phillip. While a fictional story, there is enough of reality to keep you enthralled. To imagine Queen Elizabeth II as a teenager anxiously wanting Philip to notice her is refreshing and charming.

The premiss of this book is simple. It's a fictionalized love story of Elizabeth and Philip before The Crown. This book acts as a good entry point to what might have been. Part of me feels like I had too much knowledge of this timeline to be entirely immersed in the narrative, but I would certainly recommend it to someone who is not ass royally obsessed as I am. It doesn't shy away from the faults in Philip, but like many other works of fiction involving The Queen, it has difficulty humanizing her. I'd describe it's tone as a calming walk with a few stumbling blocks rather than a sweeping romance, but we already know the ending, so that is to be expected.

Before the Crown focuses solely on the relationship between Elizabeth and Philip before their wedding. It takes us through a courtship of years in which they meet each other every once in a while, in which they write each other and in which it becomes very clear that a lot of people had a hand in this relationship.

I think the author describes both Elizabeth and Philip very well and gives an accurate representation of who they are as people, as individuals and eventually as a couple. What I loved most about this book ( as a huge fan of the Crown ) is that we learn so much more about their personalities, about the hardships that come along with being a royal. Just like the tv-show, the book gives you an insight into who these two royals are, what their dreams and wishes are, what they feel. I finished this book within a matter of hours and I think a lot of fans of the Crown will enjoy this. In the tv-show we meet an adult Elizabeth but in this book we meet her as a young girl whose mind knows what her duties are but whose heart is just like any of us.

If I had to pinpoint one thing I disliked then it would be the fact that I wish we would've gotten an even more in-depth look into Elizabeth. Her role in the book at times felt a bit superficial and it was as if she was playing second violin instead of first. Still, I immensely enjoyed this book and I think a lot of people who love the monarchy will enjoy this book.

First thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review of the book. I am rating it 3.5 stars. The book tells the story from both Prince Phillip and Princess Elizabeth's pov of their courtship. As others have stated it did seem a bit simplified and YA. At times, it almost seems like it would start getting into some serious feelings/storytelling and then back right off. I felt let down many times.

I understand that this is historical fiction and both parties are still alive but if you are going to take on the subject then go for it. All in all it is a quick read and will keep your attention.

This book was enjoyable enough to read and enjoy reading it but unfortunately I found it to be under written...almost like its a YA noel.

It doesn't start where Phillip and Elizabeth meet, and it ends right before the wedding ceremony...so we don't even get to read about the whole wedding day.
We read about their 7 year long 'relationship' where Elizabeth has decided she wants Phillip and that is that, she will have him...she pines over him, and finds ways to be with him.
Phillip doesnt seek out Elizabeth much at all but eventually decides he wants Elizabeth. He comes across as a selfish person who just wants to marry Elizabeth to better his finances. He comes across as someone I wouldn't like.

Anyone who has a bit of interest in Queen Elizabeth II would probably enjoy this book it would be an easy enjoyable read if your looking for a book you don't need to think or feel much about as you read.

I really liked this book. I felt like I was spying on Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s love story. This book was very well written and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

if you love our good Queen, if you love the "Crown" on Netflix... you'll definitely need to read this.
Flora told the story as we imagine it and I am in love with this. Brilliant!

Really enjoyed this story, we know the characters and have seen many pictures. It was fun to see HRH Queen Elizabeth as a giggling youngster. She is always so polished and professional and it was refreshing to see her humanized. Theirs is a beautiful love story and this book was a lot of fun to read.

I love this glimps behind the romance of Elizabeth and Philip. The book opens with a performance of Aladdin starring Princess Elizabeth. The story shows what it was like for a shy girl to interact with the man she wanted to marry.

I liked how the story humanized the strong woman who is the Queen. As a fan of "The Crown" I liked seeing what happened before.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by the publisher and NetGalley. Thank you very much!

3.5 stars
This is the (historical fiction) story of Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth from the time leading up to their wedding in November 1947.
I liked the story itself - it was interesting to read an historical fiction story about two people who are both still alive and well. I did think it was kind of weird that their correspondence began when she was 13, but I guess things were different back then?
I found Elizabeth to be portrayed as an incredibly dull rom-com heroine. I was screaming at her in my head to just TELL PHILIP HOW YOU FEEL ALREADY. It got old.
I didn't find Philip to be a reliable narrator and would be interested to learn more about his own thought process throughout their courtship. He seemed to wake up one day and be like, yup, I love Elizabeth. I still don't know how he got from Point A to Point B, but I guess that's up to my imagination or something.
I wish the author had included a note of her source materials, as I would be interested in exploring some of those.
What I did find fascinating was Princess Alice, so off I go to learn more about her.

this is one of those books i have no clue how to talk about it, let alone review it in a helpful way.

it was interesting to see snippets into the lives of this couple and how they meet and got married.

but because we only got snippets of specific moments, never got the introduction, never got the moment after the wedding or even the actual wedding which would have been interesting since it was the entire build up of the book.

on top of that the writing in this book was so over simplified that j have no idea which age group this book is targeted to.
ya? adult? on between? even younger? no clue!
if it’s adult it felt a bit too simple and i wish we could have been given more of the real struggles that elizabeth and phillip must have been going through with their decisions and how everyone around them reacted to their decision to marry.
if it’s ya i think it might have been helpful to give a bit more background infos?

i have no idea, which is why this book is confusing to rate.
it has so many middle ground moments that are hard to rate or talk about without the other person having read the book as well to understand what the “problems” are.

so to simplify:

- i liked how human and realistic the people are in this book.
elizabeth has a character, has feelings and emotions and sometimes struggles with her role that she didn’t pick but will take in because it’s what’s expected of her.
it was nice to see that a person who always seem so assured and strong be portrayed as someone struggling with self confidence sometimes.

- i didn’t like how this feels very much like an essay collection since we kept being dropped in moments that are already in full swing and while it gets explained over time would it have been easier to make it all connect better and not having to go back and explain after already starting?

- i didn’t enjoy how it’s so unclear what’s fiction and what isn’t.
is the way the queen and her husband meet real?
is the story about philips family real?
if so how come nobody ever mentioned that his sisters where married to SS officers?!?
and how the heck could he have really expected them to come to his wedding??
was that real if so dear god what kind of person is that man?!

so as someone that doesn’t know a huge amount of those two royals i wish we could have gotten a better overview of what’s actual fact and what’s fiction.


all in all?
it’s okay.
it’s not bad.

but it’s a strange type of book where i would guess that everyone that knows a lot about the royals wouldn’t find it overly interesting but if you don’t know a lot about them (the group i fall in) the book is skipping a lot that would be helpful and doesn’t give real facts to know what the author added herself.

it wasn’t a great one for me personally but i guess if you try jt and enjoy how it’s written it might be for you.

This book follows the courtship of Prince Philip and Princess Elizabeth, up until their wedding day. There has been a number of novels about the early years of Elizabeth's reign published in the wake of Netflix's "The Crown', but this is one of the better ones (personally, I did not enjoy 'The Gown' by Jennifer Robson). I particularly enjoyed the portrayal of Prince Philip and the description of the sharp contrast between the Continental royalty to which he belonged, and the English aristocracy. The novel is not meant to be a critical look at royalty, but it also doesn't shy away from attributing flaws to the characters. My only criticism is that it feels a little bit like the author relies on how the historical figures have been portrayed in the Netflix series, rather than her own perspective on them.

That said, this was a thoroughly enjoyable light read and a very sweet romance - I absolutely recommend for royal watchers!

As the title indicates, this is the story of the courtship of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip. Beginning in war torn England, the story flows and is well written, with a light hand. A good book, that’s a fast read and nice story that we know still exists today.

I adored this book. I had no experience learning about the English monarchy before reading this book but now want to know all the things. This book is well written with beautiful language creating vivid imagery. I was immediately drawn into Elizabeth and Phillip’s story. As a reader I experienced their struggles and cheered at their growth. I really related to Elizabeth and got to know her as a woman not just as a Princess. I appreciated how this book reminds us that even royalty experience the same disappointments and triumphs that we do.

I love reading about the royal family. I very much enjoyed learning more about the relationship between Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip in the years before they held those titles.

What a fun journey! I knew Elizabeth met Phillip as a child, but I didn't know much else so it was nice to see what might have happened during their courtship, betrothal, and wedding. I can imagine that the scenes are true because of the accuracy of Elizabeth's shyness and the hesitation Phillip probably felt about giving up everything to be a consort of the crown. While reading this I kind of felt Phillip was the star, which is odd because I never considered myself a Phillip fan, but I could feel the emotion he felt when choosing between "fun" and "duty".

There was also an immense pressure from his uncle to "get it done", meaning he wanted him to shore up this romance with Elizabeth and turn it into a wedding with no further delays. Philip would experience doubt and hesitation, I mean who wouldn't when you have to give up a "normal" life for one of constant photographs, public appearances, and little to no privacy? Elizabeth, on the other hand, seemed to know exactly what she wanted and was ready for a life of love with the guy she was smitten with at 13 and to give her best towards her duty to her country.

I believe that anyone that loved season 1 of The Crown will be absolutely thrilled with this story. I enjoyed the writing and the scenes between the lovers.

Could I love this book more? It's highly unlikely. If you love watching The Crown this fills in all the details of the time just before the show began.
I read a lot of books about the Royal Family and there were details in this that I haven't read anywhere else.

"Before the Crown" is a delightful historical novel of the courtship of Elizabeth and the later Prince Philip. As the title promises, it is meant to fulfill a gap for fans of the Netflix series--what happened in the time before the show started? Harding imagines the story of Philip and Elizabeth's romance and does so in a very sweet way. What makes the book particularly of interest is that the author does a very good job of mimicking the vocabulary and characterizations from the Netflix series. It's so very easy to hear in one's mind Claire Foy and Matt Smith speaking here, and that's why I particularly enjoyed it.

What's good: If you like "The Crown" and you want a sweet modern historical fiction work, you've got it here. The dialogue is dead-on.

What's iffier: It is just a short and sweet book, not really an in-depth portrait. If you're looking for a deep psychological study, you'll want to move on.

Thank you to the publisher and author for allowing me to read this book. I absolutely loved this book based on the early life and love story of Elizabeth and Philip. I struggled to put this book down as it was engaging and made the characters very likeable. I enjoyed watching "The Crown" series, so moments of this book would be a great prequel to that. Audiences who enjoyed that series will enjoy this book.

This book will certainly be quickly picked up and read by those who love stories about Elizabeth and Phillip, and/or by those who enjoyed the Netflix series, The Crown.  This story starts as one of youth; readers observe as Elizabeth and Phillip get to know each other, beginning when the future queen was just a girl.  There is an early vivid scene of a Christmas pantomime at the castle during WWII.  Elizabeth is an Aladdin who eagerly looks for a certain dashing naval officer in the audience.  She is clearly interested in him.  But, what does he think of or want from her?  Even if you know how history played out, the author manages to create some suspense.


Phillip is portrayed as interested in this young Elizabeth but also as a man who is not fully ready to settle down.  The influence of his family history (royalty without a country) and his uncle Mountbatten's pressure to become the future monarch's husband are realistically portrayed. 


Another section of the book, at the end of the war, shows Elizabeth as the young girl she is.  This has been the subject of a movie, A Royal Night Out. and very much comes to life in the novel.  It was one time when Elizabeth was able to shed her persona and be part of a crowd in a celebration.


From these beginning chapters, the author crafts a well told accounting of one of the longest and most famous marriages in the Western world, one that Elizabeth's father did not initially endorse.  Readers are swept along as this couple moves toward one another and their eventual wedding.  Be there with them on this journey as the pages turn.


 I highly recommend this readable and enjoyable historical novel.  Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.