{"id":45621,"date":"2026-04-09T10:18:01","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T10:18:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=45621"},"modified":"2026-04-09T10:18:01","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T10:18:01","slug":"queen-elizabeth-ii-avoided-taking-prince-harrys-calls-alone-book","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=45621","title":{"rendered":"Queen Elizabeth II avoided taking Prince Harry’s calls alone: book"},"content":{"rendered":"


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NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly caused “unforgivable” stress for Queen Elizabeth II during the final years of her life.<\/p>\n

The claim was made by royal biographer Hugo Vickers, who has written a new book, “Queen Elizabeth II: A Personal History.”<\/a> It explores the late monarch\u2019s triumphs and personal challenges based on sources close to the palace.<\/p>\n

Fox News Digital reached out to Archewell, which handles the offices for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and Buckingham Palace for comment. A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace previously told Fox News Digital, “We don\u2019t comment on such books.”<\/p>\n

PRINCE HARRY’S FEUD WITH PRINCE WILLIAM LEAVES KING CHARLES CAUGHT IN ROYAL CROSSFIRE: EXPERTS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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From left: Queen Elizabeth II, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex watch a flypast to mark the centenary of the Royal Air Force from the balcony of Buckingham Palace on July 10, 2018, in London, England. The couple stepped back as senior royals in 2020.<\/span> (Max Mumby\/Indigo\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

“What I find unforgivable is the stress that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle put on the queen<\/a> in the last years of her life,” Vickers told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n

“[Harry] was doing a really good job over in England and indeed in the Commonwealth. And [Meghan] also seemed to be very committed to the Commonwealth. Even as an actress, before she met and married Prince Harry, she was going to African countries and undertaking humanitarian work. And obviously, she addressed the United Nations. It all looked very positive, but it wasn\u2019t to be.”<\/p>\n

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Prince Harry and his fianc\u00e9e, Meghan Markle, leave Westminster Abbey in London after attending the Commonwealth Day Service on March 12, 2018.<\/span> (Daniel Leal\/AFP)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Vickers shared a similar sentiment in his book, writing, “The distress the Sussexes caused the Queen<\/a> in the last years of her life cannot be overestimated.”<\/p>\n

WATCH: PRINCE HARRY, MEGHAN MARKLE CAUSED QUEEN STRESS IN FINAL YEARS: AUTHOR<\/strong><\/p>\n

Meghan, an American actress and divorcee, married the British prince in 2018. The couple stepped back in 2020, citing unbearable intrusions by the British press and a lack of support from the palace.<\/p>\n

After settling in California, the couple gave an explosive televised interview to Oprah Winfrey<\/a> in which they aired their grievances. The sit-down, which aired several allegations about the royal family, was viewed by nearly 50 million people worldwide.<\/p>\n

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In a candid interview given to Oprah Winfrey in 2021, Meghan Markle alleged remarks regarding her son Archie’s skin color were made by the inner circle of the royal family.<\/span> (Harpo Productions)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

After the bombshell tell-all, the queen refused to take Harry\u2019s phone calls without another person in the room, Vickers claimed.<\/p>\n

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In his new book, Hugo Vickers claimed Queen Elizabeth II wouldn’t take Prince Harry’s phone calls unless a lady-in-waiting was present.<\/span> (Chris Jackson\/WPA Pool\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

“I think that the queen was obviously feeling rather cautious whenever he got in touch,” said Vickers. “I think that\u2019s how I would put it.”<\/p>\n

In the book, Vickers wrote, “Whenever Prince Harry called his grandmother, she asked her lady-in-waiting to stay with her.”<\/p>\n

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Meghan Markle, an American actress, became the Duchess of Sussex when she married Prince Harry in 2018.<\/span> (Chris Jackson\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Harry, 41, relocated to his wife\u2019s home state after Queen Elizabeth II rejected his proposal to be “half-in, half-out” as a working royal, according to Vickers.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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“Queen Elizabeth II: A Personal History” by Hugo Vickers is out now.<\/span> (Hodder & Stoughton)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

“She did give Harry and Meghan a year to think about whether it was going to work out, this exile,” he explained. “She made it quite clear on advice, obviously from her private secretary and his private secretary, and others, that you couldn\u2019t be half in and half out. You couldn\u2019t do what they wanted to do, which was to make their own money and still be contributing to royal duties. This wasn\u2019t going to work. You either did your duties, or you didn\u2019t.”<\/p>\n

“And so, they decided that they were going to go off first to Canada<\/a>, and then later on, to California,” he shared. “And then after the year went by, the question arose: \u2018How was it working out?\u2019 They decided that they were going to stay. And at that point, he stepped down from his various positions in England.”<\/p>\n

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In 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved to California.<\/span> (Chris Jackson\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Vickers claims the queen told a friend that Harry, once in “a very useful role” as a popular working royal in the U.K., had “turned into a kind of childminder.” The comment implies his life had largely shifted to caring for his children at his mansion in the wealthy, coastal city of Montecito.<\/p>\n

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, leave St. Paul’s Cathedral in London after a service of thanksgiving for Queen Elizabeth II’s reign on June 3, 2022, during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.<\/span> (Matt Dunham\/WPA Pool\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

“The way I interpreted that, perhaps rather more harshly, was you cannot be Captain General of the Royal Marines<\/a>, a very distinguished position which had been held by Prince Philip for many years, and lie barefoot under a tree in California,” said Vickers.<\/p>\n

Meghan and Harry\u2019s whirlwind romance began in July 2016 after they were introduced by a mutual friend, quickly escalating from a low-profile courtship to a royal engagement by November 2017. Less than a year later, they were married.<\/p>\n

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Meghan Markle sits in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle during her wedding to Prince Harry on May 19, 2018, in Windsor, England. Members of the royal family, including Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, watch the ceremony.<\/span> (Jonathan Brady\/WPA Pool\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

While numerous reports over the years have said Prince William cautioned his brother about moving too quickly, Vickers said he was far from the only one who shared those concerns.<\/p>\n

LIKE WHAT YOU\u2019RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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Britain’s Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex ride in the Ascot Landau Carriage at the start of their procession after their wedding ceremony at St. George’s Chapel on May 19, 2018.\u00a0<\/span> (Alastair Grant\/POOL\/AFP)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

“I think that whenever somebody rushes into a marriage, there are always likely to be people who are going to say, \u2018Steady on, have you thought this through? How\u2019s it going to go? Give it a bit of time,\u2019” said Vickers.<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s a very sensible bit of advice to give somebody. Of course, it\u2019s not very popular with the couple in question. And I think that was one of the problems, one of the issues, that people close to Prince Harry \u2014 his father<\/a>, his brother and so forth \u2014 did say, \u2018Steady on, what\u2019s going on? Are you really sure you are taking the right course?\u2019 And if he were to have repeated that to his bride, she wouldn\u2019t have been very pleased. So, I think that\u2019s part of the tension, frankly.”<\/p>\n

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Prince William and Prince Harry are said to not be on speaking terms.<\/span> (Yui Mok\/WPA Pool\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Vickers wrote that while some palace staff referred to Meghan, 44, as “Sparkle,” Philip, Harry\u2019s grandfather, dismissed her as “the American.” Charles reportedly urged his son to “have fun with her, but don\u2019t marry her.” The queen even suggested that Harry should wait a year before marriage.<\/p>\n

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Actress and United Nations Women\u2019s Advocate Meghan Markle attends the Dove Self-Esteem Project event at Earl Bales Community Centre in Toronto on Oct. 6, 2015.<\/span> (George Pimentel\/WireImage)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Harry didn\u2019t wait.<\/p>\n

“Many were alarmed that the bride had no family members to support her other than her mother,” Vickers wrote. “It was said that the queen did not like the dress \u2014 too white and with ungainly shoulders. Someone close to the queen said her attitude to the actual wedding was: \u2018You get on with it. It\u2019s nothing to do with me.\u2019”<\/p>\n

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From left: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Queen Elizabeth II attend the Queen’s Young Leaders Awards Ceremony at Buckingham Palace in London on June 26, 2018.<\/span> (John Stillwell\/WPA Pool\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Vickers said that Harry and Meghan proposed a half-in, half-out arrangement, allowing them to carry out official engagements while pursuing financial independence. Senior royals reacted negatively to the idea, pointing out that part of being a working royal is dedicating your life completely to the role. Vickers wrote that Harry was “reluctantly out.”<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, arrives at Westminster Abbey ahead of the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in London on Sept. 19, 2022.<\/span> (Christopher Furlong\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

In 2022, the queen, England\u2019s longest-reigning monarch, died at age 96. In 2023, Harry\u2019s memoir, “Spare,” was published. In it, he laid bare his struggles with royal life and shared personal details about his family. It became the fastest-selling nonfiction book ever, and it went on to become one of the bestselling memoirs of all time.<\/p>\n

The Duke and Duchess are raising their two young children in California.<\/p>\n

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Queen Elizabeth II watches from the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the Trooping the Colour parade in London on June 2, 2022.<\/span> (Jonathan Brady\/WPA Pool\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

“How did the queen\u2019s view of Meghan Markle<\/a> change?” said Vickers. “Well, I should imagine it changed quite a lot. She \u2026 [would have seen Harry go] off into a different world and not undertake his duties in the way she has done. I\u2019m sure that was very distressing for her.”<\/p>\n

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Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and Queen Elizabeth II attend Day 1 of Royal Ascot at Ascot Racecourse in Ascot, England, on June 19, 2018.<\/span> (Max Mumby\/Indigo\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

“I think that their departure and the subsequent activities, particularly the Oprah Winfrey interview, obviously were very upsetting,” he said. “And she came up with that wonderful remark, \u2018Recollections may vary,\u2019 which was a very polite way of putting it. So I think it inevitably caused her distress.”<\/p>\n

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Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex at Project Healthy Minds’ World Mental Health Day Festival held at Spring Studios on Oct. 9, 2025, in New York City.<\/span> (Kristina Bumphrey\/Variety)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

“What I feel sad about the queen is that she had a lot of problems going on in the last years of her reign,” Vickers reflected. “She had Brexit, she had [former Prime Minister] Boris Johnson<\/a>, she had issues with the [former] Prince Andrew, she had issues with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, whereas she should have been sailing into sort of sunlit uplands, enjoying her Platinum Jubilee.”<\/p>\n

“\u2026 A lot was going on. But then, of course, there always had been all through the reign. There were always problems that had to be dealt with.”<\/p>\n

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Stephanie Nolasco covers entertainment at Foxnews.com.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n


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