Sir Ian McKellen Found Queen Elizabeth II To Be ‘Bloody Rude,’ Says Prince Harry Is ‘Not Bright’

Sir Ian McKellen claimed that the late Queen Elizabeth II was “quite rude” to him when he met her.

The British actor and LGBT rights activist was knighted for services to public arts in 1991. In an interview with The London Times, McKellen revealed the true nature of his interactions with the late queen.

He revealed, “The Queen, I’m sure she was quite mad at the end. And on the few occasions I met her, she was quite rude. When I received a medal for acting [the Companion of Honour in 2008], 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?’ 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!'”

McKellen asserted his support for Prince Harry’s estrangement from the royal family: “I’m most definitely on Harry’s side.”

He speculated, “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.”

McKellen continued, “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.”

McKellan came out as gay in 1988 and has been an avid LGBT rights activist in social movements worldwide ever since. He is the co-founder of the UK LGBT rights lobby group Stonewall, and he was awarded the Freedom of the City of London in October 2014 in recognition of his work for gay rights.

In June, McKellan suffered serious injuries when he fell from the stage during a performance.