Two years after Queen Elizabeth's death, one celebrity is speaking out about his personal experiences with her — and surprisingly, what he has to say doesn't exactly paint her in a positive light. According to Sir Ian McKellen himself, Elizabeth was actually "quite rude," and for that reason, he says he's taking Prince Harry's side in the ongoing royal feud that's continued to play out in the media. Oh, boy …
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Ian didn't hold back.
In an interview with The Times that was published this week, the 85-year-old actor made his feelings about the late Queen (and the royal family in general) quite clear.
He came out swinging right away, saying, "The Queen, I’m sure she was quite mad at the end."
And he was just getting started!
He recalled a conversation he had with Elizabeth years ago.
Back in 2008, Ian received The Order of the Companions of Honour for his contributions to acting back in 2008, which was presented to him by the Queen herself – and apparently, he wasn't left too impressed by their interaction.
"On the few occasions I met her she was quite rude," he said via the news outlet. "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.’
"I got a royal smile for that, but then she said, ‘Does anyone still actually go to the theatre?’" he added. "That’s bloody rude when you’re giving someone a medal for acting. It meant, ‘Does anyone care a f— about you because I don’t. Now off you go!’"
He also shared his take on other members of the royal family.
That included the late Prince Philip, along with King Charles.
"Hats off to anyone who manages to stay sane in that world, like the Duke of Edinburgh managed to do, although even he was deeply, deeply eccentric and I suspect deeply unhappy," he told The Times. "Same with the present king. He sort of survives, but he is clearly damaged."
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Ian did say he's on Harry's side of the royal feud.
"As for Harry, he’s probably not bright enough or doesn’t have the right friends to really help himself," Ian added. "Mind you, he had the pick of all the pretty women in the world. I hope he’s got the right one."
Tell us how you really feel, Ian!
Earlier in the interview, Ian mentioned how difficult it must be to grow up in the royal spotlight. "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?" he said.
Wonder how Elizabeth would feel about this?
Unfortunately, we'll never know – but that might be for the best. After all, knowing Queen Elizabeth and her lack of tolerance for nonsense, there's a good chance she wouldn't have let comments like this go.
Hopefully Ian's knighthood isn't at stake!
