I enjoyed The Crown even though I knew that it was a dramatisation of the Royal Family. This book clarifies the real life events and timelines and helps to provide context to some of the events and clarify timelines. It was a really good read.

NetGalley, Julie Grace

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

For seven glorious years between 2016 and 2023, Peter Morgan's The Crown reigned on Netflix. Across six series and sixty episodes, audiences got to see the young Princess Elizabeth of the late Forties (played by the then rising star, Claire Foy) grow into the middle-aged Queen Elizabeth II of the Sixties and Seventies (Olivia Colman) before finally taking us up to the lioness in winter, as the series concluded with the elderly monarch (Imelda Staunton) attending the second marriage of her eldest son, Prince Charles in 2005.
Three very different actresses giving three very different excellent portraits of the same woman. But the story of The Crown was not just the story of the Queen and the Windsors, but the story of the UK itself. The series touched on many aspects of national (an, indeed, global) life ranging from the London Smog of the Fifties, Princess Margaret's unhappy marriage, the Apollo 11 Moon landings, the Aberfan disaster, Lord Mountbatten's murder, the rise of Thatcherism, the Cambridge Spy Ring and a lot - perhaps a bit too much - about the final days of Princess Diana.
Some of it was better than others, but generally it's a good show. If you've not seen it yet, check it out. This book is essentially a guide to every one of the show's sixty episodes, with special attention being paid to the levels of historical accuracy achieved throughout. For while far from easy to dismiss entirely, it's fair to say quite a lot of dramatic licence was taken.
For example, did King George V really routinely eat breakfast with a parrot on his shoulder? Apparently, yes. Did Princess Anne narrowly escape being kidnapped? Famously,, yes, although you wouldn't know it as The Crown bizarrely never mentions this at all. Dd Princess Diana really appear as a ghost to a grief-stricken Prince Charles? Obviously not. Did Margaret Thatcher really threaten to call an unnecessary General Election in a bid to prevent her own downfall? No. Did intruder, Michael Fagan really access the Queen's private bed chamber? Yes. Was Prince Phillip really obsessed by the Moon landings? Again, no. And so on..
Ultimately, this is an excellent companion to a fascinating but not always reliable TV series.

NetGalley, Chris Hallam

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I am someone who finds the royal family fascinating and so will read everything I can that features royalty, which normally is historical fiction so I enjoyed this non fiction book that showcased the royal family and the popular Netflix drama The Crown side by side to debunk fiction and state how factual the accounts actually were.
I really enjoyed it, actually a lot more than I expected to and found it so interesting.

NetGalley, Kirsty Montgomery

This was such an interesting read. Comparing the show to the facts was a great insight into where artistic liberties were taken and the truths behind them.
Cleverly written and enjoyable.

NetGalley, Julie Oakley

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This is a nicely detailed book that describes scenes from The Crown and provides the historical accuracy to them, (whether the show was true or not.)

This is an invaluable book for fans of the show.

NetGalley, Karen Kenyon

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I only made it through the first season or 2 of The Crown, as I am a tiresome, picky historical purist and the many inaccuracies in the show drove me crazy. This quick and dirty breakdown of the truth vs. the facts would be handy for tedious people like myself who want to know just exactly how inaccurate the series in before they risk their sanity by watching it; and also for normal people who don’t mind inaccuracies but who want to at least know the true facts for information’s sake.

NetGalley, Tammy Buchli

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This fab book reveals what was true and what is fiction in Netflix's The Crown series. I learned so much and had such fun reading about one of my fav cable shows. A must-read for every fan of the series!

NetGalley, Literary Redhead

An interesting look at the real British Royal Family as one of the world's most recognizable institutions, with centuries of history, political influence, and cultural symbolism versus *The Crown* is a dramatized Netflix series chronicling the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, portraying key events in the lives of the Royal Family and their interactions with the British government and global politics. It balances historical accuracy with creative liberties.

Both the Royal Family and *The Crown* captivate audiences, albeit for different reasons. The monarchy symbolizes tradition and history, while *The Crown* offers an engaging, dramatized peek behind palace doors. Together, they fuel ongoing global fascination with Britain’s royals, ensuring their legacy endures in reality and fiction.

NetGalley, Alyssa P

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The Royal Family vs 'The Crown': Separating Fact from Fiction by new to me historian author C. Curzon is a beautiful, enlightening, touching, very informative book that I read cover to cover in one sitting.
Beautiful from start till the last page.

NetGalley, KD RBCK