First sentence: He’s not there. Elizabeth has her eye pressed to the chink in the curtains.

Premise/plot: Before the Crown by Flora Harding is for any and every fan of Netflix's The Crown. It opens in 1943 and concludes with the wedding of Elizabeth and Philip. The book chronicles their relationship and is told by both the Princess and Prince. It includes some flashback scenes, especially when Philip is narrating that fills in some of his background.

My thoughts: For the most part, I love, love, love, love, love the Crown. Especially the first season of the Crown. I don't love, love, love everything about it. (Some of the scenes are a bit too graphic now and then. And I don't think nudity is really ever necessary to the plot.) But the stories and drama, well, that I love to watch. I was so happy to read and review Before the Crown. I would recommend it to viewers who love the show, to readers who love historical fiction, to readers who love all things royal.

Before the Crown, by Flora Harding, is a historical fiction novel that will appeal to anyone interested in the secrets of The Royal Family. This book was fresh and original in that it is written from the perspective of Prince Philip. To consider what it is like to walk in the shadow of his queen, Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh, was surely not as he had anticipated.

Prince Philip has a past, and possibly not one admirable by Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, and King George VI. Philip had a certain reputation with the ladies and was seen as somewhat of a playboy. During his courtship to Princess Elizabeth, he was met with abrupt coolness and general distaste from the royal family. Although Philip became quite an asset, in high standing, to the Royal Navy, he was not of English blood. Philip was born of Greek and Danish royalty, under the name of Glucksburg. a name of German descent. Before a proposal would be considered, Philip adapted his maternal family name of Mountbatten, surrendered his titles of Prince, and became a naturalized British citizen. Philip was setting everything in place for a marriage proposal to Princess Elizabeth that could not be denied.

Philip, frequently known simply as the Queen's husband, has not always been a happy man. He in many ways felt emasculated and confined. He was held to certain expectations and behavior in which he was neither familiar or comfortable. I find it interesting to think of this man that was living the life of royalty, yet stripped of his dignity, feeling distant and quite utterly alone. Nonetheless, he has always stood by Her Majesty as a silent pillar of strength and admiration. For Philip, life became all about his Queen and he was along for her ride.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC of Before the Crown in exchange for my personal thoughts and opinions.
#beforethecrown #netgalley

Are you or are you not a fan of “The Crown” on Netflix? The answer to that question will likely determine if you’ll have any interest whatsoever in this novel.

Personally, I love the show. Watched all the episodes at least twice actually. And you know how it is when you binge a series and just can’t wait for the next season? You do what you can to fill the void. It’s like you’re craving your grandma’s homemade chocolate chip cookies, but you only get to visit her once a year. So you go to the grocery store and buy yourself some Chips Ahoy instead.

BEFORE THE CROWN is the Chips Ahoy version of “The Crown.” All the same ingredients are here, but it’s not quite as satisfying. Don’t get me wrong, I can plow my way through a bag, and I did plow my way through this novel in two sittings. It goes down easy, particularly if you go into it with knowledge of the ingredients beforehand. Want to know more about the steps of courtship that lead to the marriage of Elizabeth and Philip? Put BEFORE THE CROWN on your shopping list.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Harper Collins Publishers Australia, and One More Chapter for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited to get this ARC from HarperCollins and NetGalley. I am a huge fan of literature about the British Royal family and love fictional takes on what is happening behind palace doors. Before the Crown by Flora Harding is a great step back into history, imagining the romance between Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip. This book begins during World War II, a few years before their wedding, and takes you through their complicated love story. This is a peek inside what seems like a fairy tale story, with the reality of the situation anything but a fairy tale. How hard it must be to have to think about things like how your marriage affects world politics and if your husband-to-be can prove himself worthy for you on the hunting grounds!

Fans of the Netflix show, The Crown, will love this book, which serves an informal prequel to its first season. Sometimes it is hard to capture the inner voice or private conversations from such important historical figures, and I think that is what makes historical fiction so fun to read. The only thing missing for me is a detailed author’s note to inform the reader on what was factual and what was fiction. I highly recommend it for any fellow Royal family fan! This book comes out on December 10th so get your preorder in today!

Before the Crown by Flora Harding

I loved this story of the courtship of Princess Elizabeth of England and Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh. The complexity of courting and getting engaged as a princess is a complicated affair.

The author makes all the characters so very human, from the king to the stable hands. Young and shy, Elizabeth blossoms throughout this peek at her life in Buckingham Palace.

War shortages and rationing are taking place in wartime London, and the royals are keenly aware of the sacrifices they all must make. How will Princess Elizabeth ever find a husband in the midst of it all? This five star tale will explain how, leading to the royal marriage that has lasted over 70 years.

Many thanks to #HarperCollinsPublishersAustralia and #NetGalley for an ARC for my review.

Royal family fans will definitely want to get their hands on this! Based on the courtship of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip, fictional telling of their relationship. How much is real vs embellishment? Not sure, but fun read if you like everything royal!

A great read - especially for lovers of the royal family or romance novels generally.

This would go down well with fans of The Crown TV series.

Who wouldn't love this story between Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip of Greece at the time, of course we all now know as the Duke of Edinburgh.
We are transported to 1943, when seventeen year old Princess Elizabeth is desperate to see Prince Philip.
They had briefly been introduced a few years back and she had been keen on him.

I learned so much from the research the author did for this book and all of my questions were answered that I had often wondered about in watching the Queen now in real life.

I enjoyed how Philip did Marry for love even though the Mountbattens pushed their union and they have survived through allsorts together. I could imagine the events taking place at Windsor Castle and felt it was a wonderful insight to our Queen.

Lots of humour was protrayed in Philips character which I imagine is still there today. Trying to fit in place from being a sailor albeit a little cheeky, to fit into the mould that the King required.

The wedding sounded spectacular and I had to stop and look for photos on the internet. Ultimately even though they hold such great importance it's still the marriage of a man and woman in love. A simple love story.

Once I started to read this book I had a hard time putting it down, it's a beautiful romance and it captivated me from start to finish.
This is a wonderful historical fiction book, I loved every page and would more than recommend it. Thank you.

I really enjoyed reading this book . The book revolves around queen elizabeth and Philip 7 years long relationship. This book is a good look into royal life and it's sacrifices and love between both.

When I saw this book on NetGalley I was super excited because I love reading books about the British Royal Family both fiction or nonfiction. Before the Crown is a fictional interpretation of the courtship of Philip and Elizabeth. Although I have watched the Netflix series The Crown which starts at the marriage of Philip and Elizabeth this book starts way back when they were first introduced. I didn’t realize Philip was much older than Elizabeth. Anyways the story is told from alternating perspectives and I found it interesting to hear their individual takes on similar events. In the story Elizabeth is so young and unsure of herself and men. However she knows she will be queen someday and she will have a huge responsibility.

I really enjoyed reading how the author explored what the characters (Philip and Elizabeth) might have felt during their courtship.

If you enjoy reading about the royal family or just like a sweet romance story this is a great read for you. Of course it leaves you smiling at the end of the book with a happy ever after ending. (I don’t think I spoiled anything there.)

Thank you to @NetGalley and @onemorechapterhc for providing me with the ebook Before the Crown by Flora Harding.

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.

The plot:
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…

The review: If you’ve ever watched “The Crown,” you’ve gotten some insight as to the marriage of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. You’ve probably wondered how they met-and how they fell in love. This novel explores how the beginning of their relationship. If you’ve read biographies of either of their lives, this story won’t offer anything new, but to us casual viewers of “The Crown,” the story is quite interesting. Slight spoiler-Liz really fights for her man.)

If you like Philippa Gregory and how she’s managed to make Tudor history come alive, you’ll love this book. The author did a great job describing wartime London and other scenes although she focuses more on the character of Elizabeth and Philip.

Highly recommend.

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!