United Kingdom, April 1 -- Queen Elizabeth is said to have refused to take calls from Prince Harry without a member of staff present in her later years.

The claim is made by Hugo Vickers in his new book about her life -Queen Elizabeth II: A Personal History - in which the royal author writes the late monarch took precautions during conversations with Harry following his departure from royal duties in 2020 alongside Meghan Markle, 44.

Harry, 41, and Meghan stepped back from royal life and later gave a televised interview to Oprah Winfrey, before Harry released his memoir Spare.

Hugo claims the Queen's approach to communication reflected the strain caused by the couple's actions during her final years.

His book, published in the UK on 8...