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Stay up to date with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more
Stay up to date with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more
Sir Ian McKellen claimed that the late Queen Elizabeth II was “quite rude to him” during their meetings.
The 85-year-old British actor was knighted in 1991 for services to the performing arts and met the Queen at least once when she personally appointed him a Companion of Honour (CH) in 2008 for services to acting and equality.
The Lord of the Rings actor said he thought the late monarch was “quite angry at the end” when describing some unpleasant encounters with her.
“The Queen was certainly quite angry at the end. And on the few occasions I met her, she was quite rude,” he said The times“When I received a medal for my acting performance (the 2008 Companion of Honour), she said, ‘You’ve been doing this for an awful long time.’
“I said, ‘Well, not as long as you.’ I got a royal smile for that, but then she said, ‘Does anyone still go to the theater?'”
“That’s a damn rude thing to give someone a medal for their acting performance. It meant, ‘Does anyone care about you, because I don’t. Now go away!'”
The Burnley-born actor then demonstrated the late Queen shaking his hand, claiming she “pushed him away” when he shook her hand, adding: “That was her handshake and it meant, ‘Go!’ Go!’”
In the same interview, Sir Ian reiterated his support for Prince Harry as the Duke’s estrangement from his brother and father continues.
Reportedly pointing to a copy of Harry’s sensational memoir Spare at his home in east London, Sir Ian said: “I’m clearly on Harry’s side.”
He added: “Imagine being born into the royal family. I’m already in public life a bit, but these people are in prison. You 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 this world,” he said.
“Just as the (late) Duke of Edinburgh managed to do it, even though he too was deeply eccentric and, I suspect, deeply unhappy. The same is true of the current king. He survives somehow, but he is clearly damaged. As for Harry, he is probably not smart enough or has the right friends to really help himself.
“Although, he had the choice between all the beautiful women in the world. I hope he chose the right one.”
His comments come after his dramatic fall on stage when he lost his footing during a production of PlayerKings at the Noel Coward Theatre in June.
He has since been battling a fractured vertebra and a broken wrist and has stated that he will take a break from acting for the rest of the year to recover.
