Before the Crown - Flora Harding | Spoiler Free Book Review

- This post contains a Netgalley arc - 

I don't read a lot of historical fiction and I think this might be the second book I have ever read from the genre. But I really enjoyed it and if you love anything royal related, you are going to want to pre-order this one! 

Blurb

"Before the crown there was a love story…

Windsor Castle, 1943

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…

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."

My Review

If you love The Crown on Netflix, you are going to love this book. It follows the relationship between Elizabeth and Philip from their first meeting up until their wedding day. The book is extremely well written, it's so descriptive but not boring in the slightest and the dialogue is one of the best I have read as it's so engaging and realistic to the royal family. It's written in a way that is simplified so it would be great for anybody wanting to read more about the royals. One of my favourite things about this book was getting glimpses of Princess Marget, she has always been one of my favourite royals. 

You do get some history throughout the book of and if you did watch The Crown recently this book is really easy to follow. And as it does follow their relationship through the years, you do get to see the characters change and grow. All of the royal family is written closely to how they are, Elizabeth is her guarded, powerful strong self and Philip has some niceness to him but also is his usual dickhead self at times. 

From my knowledge of royal history and watching The Crown, this book is extremely well researched! It's similar to The Crown in that there are some real events that actually happened included and them some that are fictional.

Before the Crown can be preordered here. The ebook will be released on the 17th of September 2020. 

<3