Sir Ian McKellen has never been one to mince words, and his latest remarks concerning the royal family aren’t any exception.
In a scathing critique, McKellen slammed several senior members of the monarchy, including Prince Harry, who he said was “not vivid enough” to address royal life, and King Charles III, who he noted was “clearly damaged” by being a royal member.
Sir Ian McKellen, who continues to recuperate from the autumn accident he suffered during a production of Robert Icke’s Player Kings on the Noel Coward Theatre on June 17, reserved his most biting commentary for the late Queen Elizabeth II.
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Sir Ian McKellen Slams Members Of The Royal Family
In a brand new interview with Michael Odell of The Times, McKellen hurled harsh words at several royal members of the family and alleged that the late Queen Elizabeth was rude to him.
The “Lord of the Rings” star, who controversially accepted and was conferred a knighthood award by Elizabeth in 1991, said that Harry was “not vivid enough” to address royal life and that the late queen was “rude” and “quite mad” in her final years.
He also added that King Charles was apparently “damaged” from his life as a royal member.
In the course of the interview, McKellen, who had a duplicate of Harry’s 2023 bombshell memoir “Spare” in his library, noted that he’s “most definitely on Harry’s side” within the royal feud.
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The actor explained, “Imagine being born into the royal family. I have been in public life a bit, but these individuals are in prison. They can not do anything normal. Are you able to imagine having to be nice to everyone you confer with?”
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More Of What The Actor Had To Say About The Royals
Meanwhile, Harry has not needed to live by the royal code since he and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped back from their royal duties and relocated to California, where they currently live with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
In his interview with The Times, McKellen was seemingly concerned by the impact real-life royal duties had on its members’ mental health, doffing his “hats off to anyone who manages to remain sane in that world.”
“Just like the [late] Duke of Edinburgh managed to do, although even he was deeply, deeply eccentric and I think deeply unhappy,” he continued. “Same with the current king. He type of survives, but he’s clearly damaged.”
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“As for Harry, he’s probably not vivid enough or doesn’t have the appropriate friends to actually help himself. Mind you, he had the pick of all the gorgeous women on this planet. I hope he’s got the appropriate one,” he added.
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Sir Ian McKellen Claims Queen Elizabeth Was Rude To Him
The 85-year-old Broadway star, who’s currently recuperating from his tragic fall on the Noel Coward theatre in June, reserved his most scathing remark for the late Queen Elizabeth.
He claimed she was rude to him in some unspecified time in the future during their acquaintance, citing an example of when she presented him with the Companion of Honor award in 2008.
“The Queen, I’m sure she was quite mad at the top,” he said. “And on the few occasions I met her she was quite rude.”
He continued, “Once I received a medal for acting [the Companion of Honour in 2008], she said, ‘You have been doing this for an awfully very long time.’ I said, ‘Well, not so long as you.’ I got a royal smile for that, but then she said, ‘Does anyone still actually go to the theatre?’ That is bloody rude if you’re giving someone a medal for acting. It meant, ‘Does anyone care a f-ck about you because I do not. Now off you go!'”
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The Movie Star Thought He Was Going To Die
The “X-Men” actor also recounted his experience falling off stage and suffering a chipped vertebrae and fractured his wrist after tripping on stage. McKellen was playing Falstaff in a fatsuit after wrapping up a fight scene when the accident happened.
Recounting what went on in his head as he was airborne, he said, “As I started gliding, I believed, that is the top. I didn’t know what it was the top of — definitely that night’s performance — but as I progressed I used to be ready to just accept that I could be about to die.”
The actor landed on a member of the audience, who, alongside him, was also rushed to the hospital on the time.
“I shouted out, ‘Help me!’ after which, ‘I’m sorry,'” he explained. “After which finally I cried, ‘This is not me. I do not do that,’ because there’s nothing worse for a stage actor than to miss a performance.”
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Ian McKellen Thanks Fans For Their Support After His Accident
In June, the Hollywood star took to his X account to share an update after his scary fall that caused him to be hospitalized.
“I would like to thank everyone for his or her kind messages and support,” McKellen wrote. “For the reason that accident, during a performance of Player Kings last night, my injuries have been diagnosed and treated by a series of experts, specialists, and nurses working for the National Health Service.”
He added, “To them, in fact, I’m hugely indebted. They’ve assured me that my recovery will probably be complete and speedy and I’m looking forward to returning to work.”
