Sir Ian McKellen has never been one to mince his words, and his recent comments about the royal family are no exception.

In a scathing critique, McKellen attacked several high-ranking members of the monarchy, including Prince Harryof whom he said he was “not intelligent enough” to cope with the life of a king, and King Charles III.who, in his opinion, was “clearly damaged” by his membership in the royal family.

Sir Ian McKellen, still recovering from the accidental fall he suffered during a performance of Robert Icke’s Player Kings at the Noel Coward Theatre on June 17, reserved his most scathing comment for the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Sir Ian McKellen criticises members of the royal family

In a new interview with Michael Odell from The timesMcKellen hurled harsh insults at several members of the royal family, claiming that the late Queen Elizabeth had been rude to him.

The “Lord of the Rings” star, who accepted and received the controversial knighthood from Elizabeth in 1991, said Harry was “not smart enough” to cope with life as a king and that the late queen was “rude” and “quite mad” in her final years.

He also added that King Charles was obviously “damaged” by his life as a member of the royal family.

During the interview, McKellen, who had a copy of Harry’s sensational 2023 memoir “Spare” in his library, noted that he was “definitely on Harry’s side” in the royal feud.

The actor explained: “Imagine being born into the royal family. I’ve been in public life a little 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?”

More of what the actor had to say about the royals

Meanwhile, Harry no longer has to live by royal rules since he and his wife Meghan Markle stepped down from royal duties and moved to California, where they currently live with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

In his interview with The timesApparently concerned about the impact that real-life royal duties had on members’ mental health, McKellen took his “hat off to anyone who manages to stay sane in this world.”

“Just as the (late) Duke of Edinburgh managed to do, even though he too was deeply eccentric and, I suspect, deeply unhappy,” he continued. “The same is true of the present king. He survives somehow, but he is clearly damaged.”

“As for Harry, he’s probably not smart enough or doesn’t have the right friends to really help himself. Mind you, he had his choice of all the beautiful women in the world. I hope he found the right one,” he added.

Sir Ian McKellen claims Queen Elizabeth was rude to him

The 85-year-old Broadway star, who is currently recovering from his tragic fall at the Noel Coward Theater in June, reserved his harshest remark for the late Queen Elizabeth.

He claimed that she had been rude to him at some point during their acquaintance, citing as an example the presentation of the Companion of Honor Award in 2008.

“I’m sure the Queen was pretty angry at the end,” he said. “And on the few occasions I met her, she was pretty rude.”

He continued: “When I received a medal for acting (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 go to the theatre anymore?’ That’s a damn rude thing to give someone a medal for acting. It meant, ‘Does anyone give a damn about you, because I don’t. Now go away!'”

The movie star thought he was going to die

The “X-Men” actor also opened up about his fall from the stage, where he suffered a broken vertebra and a broken wrist after tripping on stage. McKellen was playing Falstaff in a fat suit after filming a fight scene when the accident happened.

Recounting what was going on in his mind while he was in the air, he said: “As I started to glide, I thought, this is the end. I didn’t know what the end was – certainly not the end of the performance that night – but as things progressed, I was ready to accept that I might soon die.”

The actor landed on a spectator, who was also immediately taken to the hospital.

“I screamed, ‘Help me!’ and then, ‘I’m sorry,'” he explained. “And finally I screamed, ‘That’s not me. I don’t do that,’ because there’s nothing worse for a stage actor than missing a show.”

Ian McKellen thanks his fans for their support after his accident

In June, the Hollywood star posted an update on his X-account about his horrific fall, which resulted in a hospital stay.

“I would like to thank everyone for their kind messages and support,” McKellen wrote. “Since the accident last night during a performance of Player Kings, my injuries have been diagnosed and treated by a number of experts, specialists and nurses from the National Health Service.”

He added: “I am of course very grateful to you. You have assured me that I will make a quick and full recovery and I look forward to returning to work.”