Before the crown there was a love story… 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…
Step through the palace gates and discover a captivating historical novel of royal secrets and forbidden love exploring the tempestuous courtship between Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip in the wake of WWII.
Readers are LOVING Before the Crown:
‘Magnificent. It carries so much depth and warmness, and closeness to the characters that you do not want to part from them…a page-turner’ Best Historical Fiction Reviews
‘To say that I adored this book is an absolute understatement. Beautifully written, well crafted and researched. A must read for fans of The Crown’ Kim
‘Any fans of The Crown will adore this read…the story is well researched and written so beautifully I didn’t want it to end’ Lucy
‘What a pleasure it was to read this charming and heartfelt historical romance… never have I felt so romantically moved’ Jena
‘Magnificent… It carries so much depth and warmness, and closeness to the characters that you do not want to part from them’ Annette
‘I really enjoyed this book… Anyone who loved The Crown series will love this book!’ Pat
‘Perfect for fans of Netflix’s The Crown’ Elizabeth
‘This is the story that we ALL want to read…I loved every single page’ Vicki
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This was an enjoyable book. It gives you some insight to Elizabeth’s life before she was married or became Queen.
I’m not sure how much is true or just fiction but I couldn’t help but think Phillip would understand how anyone would feel marrying into the royal family. I think historical fiction fans will enjoy this book
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy
I love most anything about the royal family and this book did not disappoint. This is a respectfully written book about the courtship between Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip of Greece. He easily won her heart, but he had to fight the monarchy for their approval to marry her. I enjoyed learning a little about what their relationship might have been like before the events of the show The Crown, which begins with their wedding. I read it very quickly because I just couldn’t put it down. I will definitely be reading it again!
Thank you, NetGalley for the advanced copy.
I do enjoy a solid royal story and this one did not disappoint. The author leads us through the romance of Elizabeth II and Phillip, and the complications they faced once they announced their intent to marry. Of course, this is historical fiction – who knows what really happened between the two of them, especially from Phillip’s perspective. He was clearly pushed into the marriage by his uncle, so this story might be a bit of fantasy, although an enjoyable one.
As the title indicates, this story occurs before Elizabeth becomes queen, and really only goes up until the wedding. I would have liked to see a bit more after the wedding, since the couple was married for several years before Elizabeth inherited the crown, but that is a small criticism. This is well written and something fun for royal fans and historical fiction buffs. I recommend.
1943-Seventeen-year-old Princess Elizabeth is eager to meet Prince Philip of Greece again now that she is grown up. They have exchanged letters, but they have merely been polite. Prince Philip, a lieutenant in the Royal Navy, has resisted his uncle’s encouragement to pursue the princess, but will he think differently once he meets her again?
The dutiful heiress to the throne and the charming prince who bucks tradition for a modern quest to enjoy life. It is difficult to believe this pair might fall in love. It is even more hard to understand how it could have happened while everyone watched them for their infrequent meetings. The author does an excellent job showing us each viewpoint, Elizabeth’s and Philip’s, showing the hesitation and doubts that *may* have happened.
It is told in the present tense (Philip thinks; she says) which I don’t personally like. Still, it moves at a good pace and is a believable theory for how it happened.
Fans of the TV show “The Crown” will find this an enjoyable read. I recieved a free copy from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own.
I am not a follower of royalty and know only basic information about them. I did watch the Victoria series on PBS and enjoyed it so much, so I thought I would enjoy this fiction/based on history book about Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.
The story was very slow moving for approximately the first one-third of the book. I read the Kindle version and I looked at percentage when I was pushing myself to read the book. It was at 33%. I kept reading and I am glad I did. As the story progressed from there, I became more interested in what was happening and I felt the story moved along with a better pace. I think the last third of the book was the best part to me. I think the writing flowed much better and I cared more about the characters and the plot.
This book was very insightful of what life is like for nobility. It might seem like a plush, carefree life, but it certainly does not come across as that is this book or I am sure in real life either.
Overall, I did enjoy the book, but it was a bit of a struggle to get interested in it for me.
I want to thank HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for allowing me to read the advanced reader copy. My review is my own opinion not influenced by receiving the ARC.
Before the Crown by Flora Harding is a great historical fiction that focuses on the courtship and beginnings of the relationship between Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh.
I loved following along as we see how they both met, learned about one another, developed feelings for each other, overcame obstacles, and finally were able to wed. The author wrote the book in alternating points of view between the young duo. It was so enjoyable to feel as if you were actually there inside each of their heads and could imagine their thoughts and feelings.
The author did a great job at making the story realistic through research of real occurrences and matching her storyline with true actions, dates, and times. I felt everything flowed easily from one person to another, and time flew by while I devoured this gem. Nothing was cheesy or unrealistic and that is what made it so enjoyable to an English monarchy fan such as myself. I love anything depicting Queen Elizabeth II (and her family), but I also expect the subject matter to be respectful and honor Her Royal Majesty The Queen, and I feel that this fits the bill.
I loved the ending, but I was actually sad to see it end as I would have loved to just keep reading to no end! I truly, truly enjoyed this book.
5/5 stars
Thank you NetGalley and One More Chapter Books for this wonderful ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
.There seem to be a lot of books about the Windsors right now but with the Queen at 94 years old and Prince Phillip about to turn 99 years old, there is much to write about. This was a nice sweet book about this couple’s courtship up to the wedding and I enjoyed it. They have been married for so long you forget how much opposition her family had for the marriage with his sisters married to German soldiers in the nazi machine, his royal but eccentric mother, royal but wastrel father, then there was always the Greek politics and he had no money. He had to basically give up everything to marry Elizabeth. Phillip gave up his title, his place in the Greek and Danish succession, his Greek citizenship, and became British with the surname Mountbatten. The story goes between Elizabeth and Philip chapter by chapter. I especially enjoyed Philip’s chapters with his family. They were just tiny tidbits but I really enjoyed them especially those scenes with his sisters. They were touching. I also enjoyed Margaret. So lively. All in all an excellent read for me on a rainy afternoon with a pot of tea. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this pleasant interlude in exchange for a review.