Thank you to @netgalley and @WilliamMorrow for this ARC. A book written from three perspectives, Queen Elizabeth II, her dog handler/trainer Hannah and Susan, the corgi. Susan was given to the Queen by her father on her 18th birthday and that started a life long love of corgis. She was by the Elizabeth's side from a princess of 18, a wife, a mother and then a Queen. I wasn't sure about the first few chapters written "by" Susan but they became sweeter as the book went on. In these chapters, voice of Susan explained how the King smelled when he was becoming ill or how she felt her owner's sadness after her father's passing. Susan lived to be 16 and started the bloodline of 14 generations of corgis in the Royal family. None were ever sold and most given as gifts to family members, close friends or the breeder himself. Really cute book! #TheQueensFaithfulCompanion #ElizaKnight #June2024 #WilliamMorrow

This is certainly a different slant on the life of Queen Elizabeth II with her beloved corgis. Being aware of the Royal Family’s love of animals, it was interesting to see how the author crafted this historical fiction, albeit some of it non-fiction, novel. It took a while to get used to Susan, Elizabeth’s prize companion, to actually write some chapters! The author appears to have got inside the minds of the dogs, as she certainly seems to understand them and their behaviours. The constant nipping and biting of this breed will make me wary of corgis for life. What kept me engaged were the historical facts of the Royal Family, as it was pretty clear from the outset how the story of the companion would close. An uninspiring read, but certainly one that will appeal to dog lovers.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers HarperCollins for this APC in exchange for an independent review.

I received an ARC of this book and highly recommend it.
Being both an avid dog-lover and a huge fan of Queen Elizabeth, I thoroughly enjoyed the story of Queen Elizabeth and her devoted Corgi, Susan. This was a very sweet and easy read.
Overall I found this book a nice, relaxing read and one I would pick up again.

The Queen's Faithful Companion
by Eliza Knight
Pub Date: June 11, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and Net Galley for the ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.
From USA Today bestselling author Eliza Knight comes an endearing and vivid novel told from the unique multi-narrative viewpoints of a young Queen Elizabeth; Hanna Penwyck, the fictionalized Keeper of the Queen’s dogs; and Susan, the Queen’s Corgi, whose love and loyalty were boundless.
I Loved this book and highly recommend it for anyone who loves the Queen as much as I do.
Such a touching book about the life of Queen Elizabeth II from the time she received her first Corgi puppy at age 18, through her marriage, death of her father, ascension to the throne, and birth of son Charles.
5 stars

What a fabulous entertaining read! The story is told from Queen Elizabeth's (Lilibet), Hanna's (Keeper of the Corgis), and Susan's (Lilibet's first corgi) perspectives. The focus of the book is the years when Lilibet had Susan as her loyal companion. Hanna's character is fictional, but based on the real royal gamekeeper. She loved taking care of Susan and her offspring. Susan is the real dog that began the long line of the Queen's corgis and her exploits in the story are fictional but based on real events and history. She was a fun loving dog who had definite opinions of humans. Her chapters were so enjoyable! Lilibet struggled to give her beloved dogs all the attention they needed as her life became more complicated with a husband, children, and royal duties, but she always was invested in their health and happiness. Hanna provided that stability and routine and worked with Lilibet to give Susan and her offspring a great life!
As a corgi owner, I loved Susan's chapters as many of the behaviors I see on a daily basis. Several quotes and actions could have been taken from my dog and had me laughing. You know the author did lots of research to get the events, people, and locations accurate and then built a wonderfully creative fictional story around them. If you are looking for a delightful story that is an easy and quick read, I highly recommend this one!!
#TheQueensFaithfulCompanion #NetGalley
Thank you Net Galley for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

As a royal-watcher, I had to read this book! The author has done a fantastic job researching the young Princess/Queen Elizabeth, and I loved Susan's voice the best. Very clever! This is a sweet book that I will be suggesting to many of my patrons.

Nothing like a dog as a companion. They add so much to our lives. I did not know much about Corgi’s and this one is heartwarming.

Love the part about Elizabeth and her love for Phillip at a young age. I can tell a lot of research went into this novel and it will tug at your heart. Funny and endearing. Glad that Susan could keep Elizabeth company during the scrutiny of the public eye.

I love how Knight gives us the dog’s perspective.

The heartwarming story of Lilibet and her beloved Susan. Even though it is historical fiction you can see the hours and hours of research that Eliza Knight poured into this book. She did a wonderful job writing in real events and facts from Queen Elizabeth’s life. I definitely recommend brushing up on your facts before reading this book as many details were left out. This was purposefully done by the author as she mentions it in the authors note,

“Of course, there is so much that happened in Queen Elizabeth's long life that I was not able to include. And to be fair, this book is really about Susan and her Lilibet, and so it only takes place along the timeline of Susan's life.”

While you can read it without any prior knowledge of the royals I enjoyed knowing some “behind the scenes”.

At the beginning of the book I was put off by the long chapters but it is absolutely worth it!

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and the author for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

It is definitely no secret that Queen Elizabeth loved dogs, most especially her Corgis. Eliza Knight has written a well researched and beautifully written story of Elizabeth’s relationship with her first Corgi, Susan who was chosen and gifted to her by her father on her 18th birthday. Susan was with her through many life events, her engagement to Prince Phillip, her marriage (she even accompanied them on their honeymoon), her father’s death and her becoming Queen, and the birth of her first two children. While this is a work of fiction (we read Susan’s point of view often), I really appreciate the research that went into the story to keep it as accurate as possible. Susan was the matriarch of generations of Corgis. None were ever sold, but gifted to friends and family. The Queen stopped the Windsor Corgi line in 2009, so that none would outlive her. I thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of this book. I think if you enjoy reading about Queen Elizabeth as a person and enjoyed watching The Crown, you will love this book. Thank you @netgalley for the ARC.

Oh how I love this book. Elizabeth and I share a love for dogs. Mine is just as spoiled. We get to see and imagine just how hard life could be for Elizabeth and how much her Susan helped her.

As a lifelong Anglophile I've read many things about the great Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen's Faithful Companion has three main characters Princess/Queen Elizabeth, Susan (her first and favorite Corgi who was the matriarch of many generations), and Hannah the keeper of the Royal Corgis. All three share insights into the time period of WWII through to the very beginning of Elizabeth's reign and ending in late 1950s.
This was an extremely enjoyable read from Eliza Knight! I especially enjoyed learning about what made corgi's a favorite of the Queen. For a monarch who led a nation for 70 years quotes like, "There are no easy choices for the heads that wear the crown," completely fit what we know about Elizabeth and this novel felt like a glimpse at the woman she did not allow many if any to actually know.
I definitely recommend this for anyone who is an Anglophile, loves history, or loves dogs! Susan will steal your heart with her intelligence and utter devotion to Elizabeth.

This has to be my favorite book by Ms. Knight. One I shall re-read more than once. Can't wait till it's released so I can also enjoy it with the Audible.. In full disclosure, Corgi's are one of my top three favorite breeds. My late dog, Cappy, was a corgi mix and I loved his short legs. He had a lot of character, much like Susan, the alpha dog in the book.

In addition, I loved the Royal family. So reading this book was a real treat. I loved how Susan had her own chapters. I have read a little about her but this book made her seem so real it made me sad to think that she passed away when I was a little. I am proud to share her name. 😍😍 The relationship between Susan and her Lilibet was very relatable. I especially loved reading how Susan was smuggled under blankets so that she could go on the honeymoon. Sounds like something I would do.

Hanna was a great character. Now that would be a job I would love to have. Including how the household staff could be downright mean when they were jealous of another staff member. Luckily, Hanna rose above that. Letting her have her own love story with Forrest and later her own family added depth to the character. I wonder if the real Queen was fortunate to have someone like her in her life. This really was a great book about three very strong females, two real and one fictional but still so very real. Needless to say, I highly recommend this book.

Thank you, Netgalley for giving the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. My review is voluntary and completely honest.

Quirky book that is partially told from QE's corgi Susan's POV; the story spans Susan's life and incorporates some of the well-known happenings through the 50s. Each chapter was told from a specific person's POV: Elizabeth, Susan, Hanna (the corgi keeper), etc. and it was readable and accurate. I enjoyed the realistic portrayal of Philip & Elizabeth's relationship as well as the seemingly true to life description of Elizabeth's mothering style. Using Susan's legacy as a way to tell an often told story is a novel approach!

As the name of the novel implies: “The Queen’s Faithful Companion: A Novel of Queen Elizabeth and Her Beloved Corgi, Susan”, this book has as it’s primary protagonists Queen Elizabeth and her corgi, Susan, as well as Hannah, Susan’s fictitious handler. The novel starts in 1939 when then Princess Elizabeth was 13 years old at the beginning of World War II. At that time, she was close to Dookie, the family corgi. Five years later on her 18th birthday, her father, King George VI gives Princess Elizabeth a corgi of her own, named Susan. The book traces their life together as Princess Elizabeth becomes an adult, falling in love with and later marrying Prince Philip, becoming a naval wife stationed in Malta, only to suddenly become Queen at the age of 26 on the death of her father. Throughout these tumultuous years, she maintains a close relationship with her beloved Susan, who has trials and tribulations of her own as she frequently bites footmen and guests of the various palaces where she resides with the Queen.

The author clearly loves dogs, as she brings to life the nuances of feelings and expressions that Susan exhibits. As a result, the reader is given a glimpse through life as seen through the eyes of a devoted dog. The human characters are also well-drawn as she highlights their individual struggles and losses. I highly recommend this book to historical fiction fans, especially those who love animals.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a very sweet and easy read. Even though it is fiction I felt like I got a glimpse of Queen Elizabeth as a person and a dog lover.

Everyone thinks royal life is easy but I think it would be exhausting living in the public eye constantly and having every move criticized. Susan was a safe place for Elizabeth and with her she could just be herself. It was nice to read about those moments. I loved reading Susan's thoughts about things. The author did a great job of writing from the dog's perspective.

The ending was a bit abrupt for me and I wasn't expecting it to end in such a way but overall I found this book a nice, relaxing read and one I would pick up again.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

Mention dogs in relation to Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, and people will know you mean Welsh Corgis. What could be more natural than to focus a novel on those Corgis—most notably Susan, an eighteenth-birthday gift to the future queen and progenitor of all the dogs that followed?

Like many people born in the UK, I saw Elizabeth II as not just a queen but THE queen, the one and only. Over the years, she matured from a beautiful princess to an occasionally cranky grandmother, but even as her offspring tumbled into one scandal after another and threw the fate of the monarchy into question, she remained the embodiment of propriety and stability. “The Queen’s Faithful Companion” focuses on the early years, when queen and times were in alignment. It throws light on her relationship with Prince Philip, showing them as a young couple in love—if not entirely comfortable with the demands placed on them. And it reframes Elizabeth’s relationship with her sister, Princess Margaret, in thought-provoking ways.

But it’s the contrast between the relatively well-known story of Elizabeth and the perspectives of Susan and her caretaker, Hanna Penwyck that make this novel irresistible. Hanna—a fictional character based on the gamekeeper at Windsor Castle, Bill Fenwick, and his wife, Nancy, who cared for the royal Corgis—agrees somewhat reluctantly to give up her dreams of an outside career, but by doing so, she finds both her purpose in life and her own love story. Her pragmatic lower-class approach to the dogs and their needs puts the royals in their place, in a sense, offering a view of life at the castle that most readers will share.

Susan’s job is to offset the demands placed on the princess and especially the queen, reminding Elizabeth of the important things in life: a walk in the park, a cuddle at the fireside, the need for treats and comfort. Although it’s hard to believe that Susan could accurately convey the full text of conversations taking place around her, it’s a novel, after all, not a history book. Her reactions are always believably canine. She worries about smells and strange sounds and people moving into or away from her territory. Even when she bites someone (as the real Susan did on several occasions), it’s easy to see what prompts her response. Joe Biden’s Commander would no doubt appreciate that kind of understanding among his humans; Susan illustrates the difficulties of being a dog surrounded by strangers and kept away from the human she loves most.

The life of a dog is, alas, not long, and it can be hard to say goodbye even to fictional renditions of the pets who mean so much to us. Susan has the last word in this novel, and that is fitting. It still made me cry. But rest assured, lovers of “The Crown,” people who like dog stories in general, and readers like me, who still regard Elizabeth II as THE queen will adore this book. I’ll be hosting the author on my blog (link below) when the novel comes out in June 2024.

Such a touching book about the life of Queen Elizabeth II from the time she received her first Corgi puppy at age 18, through her marriage, death of her father, ascension to the throne, and birth of son Charles.

I have always adored the Queen and was intrigued to learn more of her life through this charming novel that offers much of the story via Corgi Susan and Hanna Penwyck, a fictionalized Keeper of the Queen’s dogs. A perfect tale for those who love the Queen, her famous Corgis, the Royal family, and endearing canine companions.

I received a copy of the book "The Queen's Faithful Companion" by Eliza Knight, from NetGalley. This book is about Queen Elizabeth and her faithful corgi companion "Susan" The dog was given to the Queen when she was 18 years old and was Princess Elizabeth. The boof focuses on three narratives. Princess Elizabeth{although it is not her talking} Susan the corgi dog and her view. and Hanna the young woman was was hired to be the caregiver of the Corgis. The book goes from Susan as a puppy and growing over the next dozen years with Elizabeth as she goes from an 18 year old to being Queen of Britain and her getting married and having her first two kids. Hanna the caregiver has her voice as well taking care of Susan and other Corgis the royals own. This was a nice book to read. I enjoy reading books that have dogs in them. I had heard of the Corgis the royals have owned for decades and the author Eliza Knight found a delightful way to bring this together to get an idea of what it could be like to be a dog who is a very important member to Queen Elizabeth.