Veteran English actor Sir Ian McKellen is known for his straightforward personality and is never one to bite his tongue on any bad experiences he has had in his almost 70 years in the industry. However, even his biggest fans didn’t expect to hear the actor talk smack about the late British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II.
In a recent interview with The Times, the 85-year-old gave his opinion about the British royal family and the pressures he assumed the family members face, constantly living in the public eye. He spoke about the late Prince Phillip, King Charles III and Prince Harry. Along that conversation, he then recounted an interaction he had with the late Queen Elizabeth II when she made him a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour in 2008 for his service to drama and equality.
According to Sir Ian, while receiving the honour, the late English monarch had said to him, “You’ve been doing this for an awfully long time,” to which he gently responded, “Well, not as long as you”, referring to her sovereignty. However, Queen Elizabeth then bluntly remarked, “Does anyone still actually go to the theatre?”, which seemed to have left a sour taste in the actor’s mouth. Sir Ian said, “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!’”.
The public figure’s comments unsurprisingly received some backlash, mostly from people who thought he was disrespectful towards the late Queen. Many, including some former royal family staff, said he spoke ill of the dead and called for him to return his knighthood. However, some netizens defended the actor, saying the comment was not disrespectful and was only a recollection of an incident. On the other hand, some said that the late monarch’s comment was rude and shouldn’t be excused simply because of who she was.
The actor has previously shared other funny stories involving the royal family, so we’re sure he had no malicious intent with his comment – but what are your thoughts on this?
Sources: Entertainment Weekly, The New Zealand Herald, Instagram
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