Prince Harry has Sir Ian McKellen in his corner when it comes to the Duke of Sussexes' longstanding rift from the rest of the royal family.
The legendary, 85-year-old actor, known for iconic roles like Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings films and Magneto in a slew of X-Men movies over the years, went on-the-record with his support for Harry in a recent interview with The Times of London.
“I’m most definitely on Harry’s side,” McKellen said in the new profile, which was published on Friday, September 6. “Imagine being born into the royal family. I’ve been in public life a bit, but these people are in prison.”
McKellen reportedly made his comments about Harry and his rift with the rest of the royal family while flipping through a copy of Harry's memoir, Spare, according to Us Weekly.
“They can’t do anything normal," the actor added on the topic of life as a member of the royal family. "Can you imagine having to be nice to everyone you talk to?”
The actor made it clear that he doesn't think royal life is easy for anyone to manage, pointing to the late Prince Philip and current monarch, King Charles, as examples.
“Hats off to anyone who manages to stay sane in that world," he said. Like the Duke of Edinburgh [Prince Philip] 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.”
And even though McKellen declared himself firmly on "Harry's side," the Duke of Sussex didn't escape getting a dose of the actor's royal criticism.
“As for Harry, he’s probably not bright enough or doesn’t have the right friends to really help himself,” McKellen said. “Mind you, he had the pick of all the pretty women in the world. I hope he’s got the right one.”
This wasn't all McKellen had to say about the royal family though. The actor also opened up about his experiences meeting the late Queen Elizabeth II, who presented him a Companion of Honour medal for his services to acting in 2008, telling the Times of London that "on the few occasions I met her she was quite rude."
“When I received a medal for acting, she said, ‘You’ve been doing this for an awfully long time.’ I said, ‘Well, not as long as you,’” he said of their 2008 encounter. “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*ck about you because I don’t. Now off you go!’”
The profile describes how McKellen reenacted the "rude" royal encounter "pretending to shake his interviewer’s hand but instead shoving the reporter away with 'some force,'" according to Us Weekly.
“That was her handshake and it meant, ‘Go! Go!’” McKellen added, rounding out his avalanche of opinions about the royal family.
