The Most Famous Lord Of The Rings Actor Was Insulted By The Queen
Ian McKellen is one of Hollywood’s acclaimed actors and has adoring fans all over the world. After all, who couldn’t love the man who brought such awesome roles like Magneto and Gandalf to life? As it turns out, one of the most important people in the world: according to Ian McKellen, Queen Elizabeth once deeply insulted him by insinuating that nobody still goes to the theatre right after he was awarded a prestigious medal for acting.
He’s On Prince Harry’s Side
The star has never minced words, but Ian McKellen was even more blunt than usual recently when he described being insulted by the Queen. The conversation began unexpectedly when an interviewer noticed that he had an open copy of Prince Harry’s tell-all memoir Spare open on the table.
Apparently noticing the other man’s interest, the actor tapped the book and made a rather provocative statement: “I’m most definitely on Harry’s side.”
The Royals
Asked to elaborate, he compared his own time in “public life” to what it must be like to be in the Royal Family, which he likened to being “in prison.” This is because the various royals “can’t do anything normal” and have to be nice to everyone they interact with.
While he began talking about the royals in general, it didn’t take Ian McKellen long to level some very specific criticisms at the late Queen Elizabeth.
A Rude Queen
The first criticism was as blunt as it was shocking. “The Queen, I’m sure she was quite mad at the end,” he said, implying that Elizabeth might have had the royal jewels but not necessarily all her marbles when she passed away.
Given what he said next, though, it seems like the X-Men star might have strong feelings due to a long and surprising grudge against Elizabeth.
According to Ian McKellen, the Queen was “quite rude” to him on the “few occasions” they met. By way of example, he described an exchange they had when he was awarded the Companion of Honour acting award in 2008.
That’s when the two engaged in what started as banter and soon turned quite bitter.
Deeply Insulted
Ian McKellen claims the Queen told him “You’ve been doing this for an awfully long time.” To this, the quick-witted actor responded, “Well, not as long as you.”
McKellen says this rejoined was enough to earn him “a royal smile,” but Elizabeth’s next words revealed just how unamused she really was.
Her next words were “‘Does anyone still actually go to the theatre?’ Apparently, Ian McKellen was deeply insulted by the Queen’s question, saying that her response was “bloody rude when you’re giving someone a medal for acting.”
To drive home his point, the actor summed up her thoughts in a bluntly vulgar fashion: “It meant, ‘Does anyone care a f*** about you because I don’t,” he said, concluding that Elizabeth was not-so-subtly saying, “Now off you go!”
Shockwaves
To complete his account of this frosty meeting, Ian McKellen engaged in a brief bit of roleplay with the interviewer to illustrate how rude the Queen allegedly was. Both men stood up, and the actor went to simulate what happened when Elizabeth offered her hand.
McKellen played the part of Elizabeth and shoved the other man’s hand away during the attempted shake, and the actor helpfully translated the Queen’s body language: “That was her handshake and it meant, ‘Go! Go!’”
Hearing Ian McKellen describe Queen Elizabeth in such a way has sent shockwaves throughout the world, and some of his critics are now claiming for him to return his knighthood since he feels so strongly about the Royal Family.
Others are baffled that the Lord of the Rings actor waited this long to spill the tea about a 2008 interaction with Elizabeth. As for us, we don’t think this onscreen wizard’s criticisms are ever late, nor are they early—in fact, they arrive precisely when he means them to.
Source: The Sunday Times
