Review: _The Crown_ shifts fiction from fact

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I admit that I am a fan of Netflix's series, The Crown, and soon after I finished watching the second season, I found out that there was a companion volume to the series. Needless to say, I ordered the book as soon as I could, and happily settled into it once it arrived. With tea of course. The full title is The Crown: The Official Companion, volume I, and tidily covers the period from 1947-1955. Longtime royalty author Robert Lacey takes and provides an entertaining look at both the series, and the real Elizabeth II and her family. We follow the same timeline as the series, from the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip, having changed his name to Lt. Philip Mountbatten, and the highs and lows of their marriage. Alongside is the relationship between Elizabeth and her first Prime Minister, the redoubtable Winston Churchill. Each chapter is the same as the series, with plenty of black-and-white photographs from both the series and reality. What really struck me was how much the cast resembled the actual people, and each one gets an entire page to themselves. History and fiction take a vibrant role in this, and makes the story all the more enjoyable. Lacey, who has written two biographies on Elizabeth II, gives the reader a very enjoyable book here, without a large amount of jargon, blessedly free of the lurid gossip to be found in other biographies, and the style flows easily. In addition to the narrative, there are numerous photographs, along with two inserts of colour photographs, as well a cast and crew listing, along with a hint of the season to come. A list of books for further reading is provided as well. If you enjoyed the series, this is a book that I can happily recommend to anyone who is interested in the currently royalty of the United Kingdom. It makes a perfect introduction to the early reign of Elizabeth II. I am very interested in seeing the next companion volume in this series. Five stars overall and heartily recommended. The Crown: The Official Companion, Volume I: Elizabeth II, Winston Churchill, and the Making of a Young Queen, 1947-1955 Robert Lacey 2017; Crown Publishing ISBN 978-1-5247-6228-5