Ian McKellen Rips Into 'Not Bright' Prince Harry, 'Clearly Damaged' King Charles And Other Royals

Sir Ian McKellen has never been one to mince words, and his latest remarks about the royal family are no exception.

In a scathing critique, McKellen slammed several senior members of the monarchy, including Prince Harry, who he said was "not bright enough" to cope with royal life, and King Charles III, who he noted was "clearly damaged" by being a royal member.

Sir Ian McKellen, who continues to recover from the fall accident he suffered during a production of Robert Icke's Player Kings at the Noel Coward Theatre on June 17, reserved his most biting commentary for the late Queen Elizabeth II.

In a new interview with Michael Odell of The Times, McKellen hurled harsh words at several royal family members and alleged that the late Queen Elizabeth was rude to him.

The "Lord of the Rings" star, who controversially accepted and was conferred a knighthood award by Elizabeth in 1991, said that Harry was "not bright enough" to cope with royal life and that the late queen was "rude" and "quite mad" in her final years.

He also added that King Charles was apparently "damaged" from his life as a royal member.

During the interview, McKellen, who had a copy of Harry's 2023 bombshell memoir "Spare" in his library, noted that he is "most definitely on Harry's side" in the royal feud.

The actor explained, "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?"

Meanwhile, Harry has not had to live by the royal code since he and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped back from their royal duties and relocated to California, where they currently live with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

In his interview with The Times, McKellen was seemingly concerned by the impact real-life royal duties had on its members' mental health, doffing his "hats off to anyone who manages to stay sane in that world."

"Like the [late] Duke of Edinburgh managed to do, although even he was deeply, deeply eccentric and I suspect deeply unhappy," he continued. "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. Mind you, he had the pick of all the pretty women in the world. I hope he's got the right one," he added.

The 85-year-old Broadway star, who is currently recuperating from his tragic fall at the Noel Coward theatre in June, reserved his most scathing remark for the late Queen Elizabeth.

He claimed she was rude to him at some point during their acquaintance, citing an example of when she presented him with the Companion of Honor award in 2008.

"The Queen, I'm sure she was quite mad at the end," he said. "And on the few occasions I met her she was quite rude."

He continued, "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-ck about you because I don't. Now off you go!'"

The "X-Men" actor also recounted his experience falling off stage and suffering a chipped vertebrae and fractured his wrist after tripping on stage. McKellen was playing Falstaff in a fatsuit after wrapping up a fight scene when the accident happened.

Recounting what went on in his head as he was airborne, he said, "As I began gliding, I thought, this is the end. I didn't know what it was the end of — certainly that night's performance — but as I progressed I was ready to accept that I might be about to die."

The actor landed on a member of the audience, who, alongside him, was also rushed to the hospital at the time.

"I shouted out, 'Help me!' and then, 'I'm sorry,'" he explained. "And then finally I cried, 'This isn't me. I don't do this,' because there's nothing worse for a stage actor than to miss a performance."

In June, the Hollywood star took to his X account to share an update after his scary fall that caused him to be hospitalized.

"I want to thank everyone for their kind messages and support," McKellen wrote. "Since the accident, during a performance of Player Kings last night, my injuries have been diagnosed and treated by a series of experts, specialists, and nurses working for the National Health Service."

He added, "To them, of course, I am hugely indebted. They have assured me that my recovery will be complete and speedy and I am looking forward to returning to work."