Author: Flora Harding
Genre: Historical Fiction
Series: No
Brief Overview:
The book is set before the time when Elizabeth II was not Queen Elizabeth but merely Princess Elizabeth. Though it deals mainly with the courtship between the young Princess and the dashing naval officer, Philip Mountbatten, it also gives a peek into the relationships between the various family members as well.
Philip has won the heart of the Princess, but that is only the first battle to be won. Before he can claim her as his own, he has to win over not only the girl's father, who just happens to be King but Parliament and his own heart as well. Coming to terms with being consort to the future Queen is not easy for the gregarious young man, and yet love, in the end, will prevail. How it all comes about is a journey indeed.
Here is what Goodreads has to say:
My take: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.
I love historical fiction, and I'm a self-confessed Anglophile (lover of all things British), so this book wins high marks from me, which is somewhat surprising because as a rule, I do NOT do romances. Ever. But this was no mere romance novel; the complexity of the characters made it something much more.
Of course, we all know how the story ends. Philip and his lady are married, and the young girl becomes Queen Elizabeth II and the dashing young naval officer becomes Prince Philip. And like with all historical fiction, creative liberties are taken. No one knows with 100% accuracy what went on between the two of them during the courtship, save those involved, of course. But this book offers the 'peek behind the curtain' and takes what we know of their personalities to create a reasonable facsimile. If you love The Crown, you will enjoy this book. I certainly did!
