Sir Ian McKellen had some harsh words for the late Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the royal family during a recent interview with the Times of London.
While recovering from a fall off a theater stage in London, the British actor spoke candidly with the outlet about his experiences meeting the monarch and his opinion on Prince Harry’s memoir.
The 85-year-old Lord of the Rings actor recalled the late queen being “quite rude” to him the few times he met her.
“When I received a medal for acting, she said, ‘You’ve been doing this for an awfully long time.’ I said, ‘Well, not as long as you,’” he recalled. “I got a royal smile for that, but then she said, ‘Does anyone still actually go to the theatre?’ That’s bloody rude when you’re giving someone a medal for acting. It meant, ‘Does anyone care a f–k about you because I don’t. Now off you go!’”
McKellen added that he believed by the end of her life she was “quite mad,” particularly with Prince Harry’s memoir, Spare.
After stating he was “on Harry’s side,” McKellen said, “Imagine being born into the royal family. I’ve been in public life a bit, but these people are in prison. They can’t do anything normal. Can you imagine having to be nice to everyone you talk to?”
“Hats off to anyone who manages to stay sane in that world,” he said. “Like the [late] Duke of Edinburgh managed to do, although even he was deeply, deeply eccentric and I suspect deeply unhappy. Same with the present king. He sort of survives, but he is clearly damaged.”
“As for Harry, he’s probably not bright enough or doesn’t have the right friends to really help himself. Mind you, he had the pick of all the pretty women in the world. I hope he’s got the right one.”
Sir Ian McKellen did not hold back when talking about the British royal family. Do you believe what he had to say about the late Queen Elizabeth II?
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