This book wasn’t what I was expecting at all. I was very disappointed with the writing style.
I felt the narrative was ridiculous

while i did enjoy this book it did also feel weirdly like a princess diana fanfiction which im not too sure about

The People's Princess begins with Lady Diana and her engagement to Prince Charles. Alone, bored in the palace, Diana finds Princess Charlotte's diary (from the 1800's) - she realises that there are similarities between themselves - both in their late teens - both popular with the public and both wanting to marry for love rather than duty.
The story is more concentrated on Princess Charlotte's story rather than Diana's - perhaps it is more presumption thart we know more of Diana than Charlotte. However, it is a lovely historical tale, well researched and heartwarming.
One for the royalists.

Overall I enjoyed this book. It ended up expiring before I finished it but I am going to end up getting it for the Library so that I can finish reading it.
Over all I love the characters and how it was set up. Fans of the Crown will want to read this one!

I remember the excitement of Princess Di's wedding to Prince Charles. My mom and I woke up early to watch it.
I will never forget seeing her big puffy gown gliding down the aisle.
This book is a fictional account of Princess Diana and Princess Charlotte of Wales. The similarities between both women are amazing! I enjoyed how the author went back and forth between the time periods. I highly recommend this book and will be reading more by this author.
Many thanks to the author and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

The year is 1981, and Lady Diana Spencer is sequestered away in Buckingham Palace in the lead up to her wedding to Charles, Prince of Wales. Feeling lonely and overwhelmed, she explores the palace, making friends with the staff. During one of these ventures, she stumbles across the portrait of Princess Charlotte. After being given a copy of Charlotte's journals, Diana settles in to read, finding a kinship with the Queen-who-never-was.

The story is in two parts: Diana and the challenges she faces assimilating into the Royal establishment, and Charlotte, 19th Century heir apparent, the rebel Royal just trying to be herself.. Despite the cover, this book is not primarily about "our" modern Princess - The bulk of the story focuses on Princess Charlotte's life, with smaller chapters dedicated to Princess Diana.

Despite being based on real people and real events, this is a work of fiction. One must be mindful of this, particularly as some of the key players are alive and have had a marked change in circumstances since the book was published

It is a well crafted story, and introduced me to a historical figure I never knew existed until now. Both Princesses tales are tragic, and there is a remarkable similarity between the two.

This book does include a trigger warning, as there is frequent mention of Diana's eating disorder. Also mentioned: miscarriage, stillbirth and death.

I'm always hesitant to read fictional stories of real, contemporary people, but this one was told well.

I received this as an e-arc from Netgalley, but I also listened to the audiobook on Audible, as read by Julie Teal.

~Many thanks to Netgalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review ~

A brilliant read and one I really enjoyed. A heartwarming, relaxing read. The characters are loveable and varied, the plot is one that is engaging and medium paced. I found myself completely drawn into the story and enjoyed the writing style.

From the cover I assumed this was a story of Diana. Diana sees a portrait of Princess Charlotte and is interested so Charles introduces her to a historian who has Charlotte's diary and the two stories are told in alternating chapters. Charlotte is the more interesting story. Diana is portrayed as very young and naïve, almost petulant at times. Most of her chapters bring up her binging and purging which made it sound like all she cared about was how she looked in pictures and I think she was so much more than that. Charlotte's story is told in the first person was excerpts from her diary. I find it so hard to believe that her diary would be that detailed with whole conversations and that she was even able to write of her own death.

The book was easily readable and a quick read but I think it lacked some depth. I would have loved just to have read more about Princess Charlotte and left out the Diana chapters

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK One More Chapter for providing me with a digital copy.

The People's Princess by Flora Harding

I have mixed feelings on this light, fast read. I loved the sections on Princess Charlotte of Wales, the Prince Regent's heir who should have been Queen instead of Victoria, but the sections on Diana are less successful. While it demonstrates more then ever how unsuitable a couple Charles and Diana were, the emphasis is on Diana's childishness and bulimia. Not a hint that she had a brain in her head. But the main problem is that these sections are quite repetitive. The Charlotte sections, however, are great! I knew a little about her but I feel inspired to do some more research.

I did not realize there was a Princess Charlotte in England's history that had a difficult life very similar to Princess Diana. They both died far too young. As someone who has grown up reading about Diana’s life and death, this is definitely a book I’d highly recommend.

I didn't connect with this book. It isn't the author's fault in the slightest but it just wasn't for me. I was initially intrigued by the premise but I think I need to know the character is fictional and not a real person where we will only ever know a little of their real stories, unfortunately the rest is speculation.

2.5⭐

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the review copy, provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

A captivating and very original novel set in London during the few months leading to Charles and Diana wedding in 1981.

A young Diana Spencer has been invited to stay at Buckingham Palace in order to avoid being disturbed by the hounding press. Alone and full of misgivings about her feelings towards charles and her upcoming nuptials, Diana stumbles upon the diary (that never existed of course...it's fiction after all) of Princess Charlotte, the unlucky daughter of the Prince Regent, the future Georges IV. But very soon, as Diana finds herself totally drawn to Charlotte's life of family squabbles, thwarted love affairs and open rebellion against her family and the court establishment Diana starts drawing disturbing parallels with her own life...

Flora Harding is a wonderful wordsmith and she gives us a compelling dual portrait of a young and fragile Diana lost within the confines of a dreary palace and its stuffy court and of a young and headstrong Charlotte navigating the treacherous waters of the Hanoverian Court until her untimely and heartbreaking death at the age of 21.

A beautiful fictional tapestry that deserves to be enjoyed without any moderation whatsoever.

Many thanks to One More Chapter and Netgalley for this terrific ARC

I really enjoyed reading this book, id never heard of Charlotte before so it was very interesting to read her side and the similarities with PricessDiana. I dont normally read historical fiction but throughly enjoyed this book.

Unfortunately this book was not for me, it was a bit slower than I would like and it just didn't hold my attention. I am sure other people will love it!

I hadn't read the synopsis before I read this book, so when I started reading it I thought it was just another book about Princess Diana, and I have read many before, but how wrong I was.

There is obviously some poetic licence taken with this book but a lot is based on fact, having read some of the discussions in a book by Andrew Morton.

Princess Diana, before she married Prince Charles, was intrigued by a painting in Buckingham Palace of Princess Charlotte; The Queen that never was. She was given a journal written by Princess Charlotte and began to read it page by page.

So much has been written about Princess Diana and I felt I knew a lot of it, but I knew nothing about Princess Charlotte. I fell in love with her and was mesmerised by her story. So much so that I am going to research her and read more books about her.

This book didn't always paint Princess Diana in a favourable light, sometimes making her seem like a spoilt teenager, but then at the end of the day, she was a teenager. However the book was very well written and I love how the author blended the stories of the two Royal Princesses.

It is hard to make a story about well-known people from the past. Especially the people who died young, who stayed in many hearts for so long. A book about the Princess of Wales, Diana, was a risky idea. And in this edition? I don't like it at all.

I'm not a huge fan of monarchy. I'm from a country where monarchy no longer exists and I don't get a vibe or a huge feeling for that institution. But we all know the story of Diana. We all are aware of her footsteps, of her lifeline, decisions. Creating a history basing on only a short piece of her life, is not something I would approve. Cause, here, it seems like completely different person. Maybe it is, but calling a story The people princess is calling for attention and using the name for wrong reasons.

I found it hard to finish. It was kinda chaotic, without any particular time line or the main focus. Sometimes very naive, it does not catch many attention for long and was not really engaging as I expect it would be.

Lovely book. Very sad. Quite a remarkable woman. The book was very well written. Gave me more insight into the person she was and did become.

This is my second book by Flora Harding and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Both Diana and Charlotte’s voices were so clear and the dual storylines were so engrossing. I really enjoyed reading this book. If you live reading about the royal family you will love this book! I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

I felt very disconnected from this book. I don't think it adds anything to the legacy of Princess Di. I liked the second timeline of Princess Charlotte but ultimately didn't take anything away from this book.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

I love love Princess Diana, so this book by Flora Harding was a real treat! If you're a fan of shows like The Crown (or if you've already watched every Princess Diana documentary to exist...ahem, me), then you NEED to read this book!