Gandalf actor outrages Royal fans Sir Ian McKellen: "The Queen was mad and rude"
Sir Ian McKellen has been criticized for his recent comments about the Queen. The actor described her as "rude" and "mad towards the end". Now the British want to strip him of his knighthood.
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- Actor Ian McKellen caused a stir by calling the late Queen Elizabeth II "very rude" and criticizing her behaviour.
- He supported Prince Harry in the interview and expressed understanding for the stresses and strains of life in the Royal Family.
- The comments were met with criticism in the UK, with some experts calling for his knighthood to be revoked.
Actor Ian McKellen (85, "Lord of the Rings") caused controversy when he described the late Queen Elizabeth II as "very rude", among other things. In an interview with The Times, he said: "The Queen was really mad towards the end - and the few times I met her, she was rude too."
He recalled: "When I got a medal for acting, she said, 'You've been doing this an awful long time'." McKellen replied that he hadn't been doing it as long as she had, which made the Queen smile. She then asked him, "Does anyone else actually go to the theater?" The Gandalf actor found this "incredibly rude" - especially while she was presenting him with the medal. He interpreted this as: "Does anyone give a shit about her? I certainly don't."
The 85-year-old went on to describe the royal handshake, which was like "pushing her away". During the handshake, she pushes you back, says McKellen: "By that she means 'Go!
McKellen to give up knighthood after comments
In the same interview, McKellen expressed his support for Prince Harry: "I'm definitely on his side. Imagine being born into the Royal family. I'm a public figure and I know the attention - but these people are in a prison."
You can't do anything normal and you have to be nice to everyone all the time, he says.
"Harry probably isn't clever enough or doesn't have the right friends to make the right decision. He could choose from all the beautiful women in the world, I hope he chose the right one," the actor added.
McKellen's comments about the former Queen did not go down well with the British. Some Royal experts are calling for his knighthood to be revoked. He received his knighthood back in 1991 for his extraordinary career in the performing arts.
On the other hand, the actor's statements are being put into perspective, with the Queen's question probably simply hitting a sore spot.
