I read this book for the reason I suspect many others have - because I just binged The Crown on Netflix and wanted more backstory than the show gave. While I've read about the Queen's early years before, I haven't done so for some years, and this was a pleasant refresher. Williams gives the reader a smooth experience, drawing on a wide range of sources, and I enjoyed the book.

The ending is the least successful - abrupt and a bit slapdash, primarily concerned with a short and disorganized discussion of Margaret's love-life. I think it would probably have been more successful to end with the Coronation and a more polished and retrospective conclusion. But rounding off a book like this one seems like it'd be one of the most difficult elements to land, so that's understandable.