Ian McKellen takes aim at Prince Harry with unexpectedly mean remark about intelligence

Sir Ian McKellen hit out at Prince Harry in a recent interview and made a brutal remark about the royal's intelligence

By: irishmirror.ie

Sep 06 2024
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Ian McKellen takes aim at Prin

Sir Ian McKellen took aim at Prince Harry's intelligence in a brutally honest conversation about the royal family from a recent interview.

The critically-acclaimed actor, 85, has been focusing on regaining his strength after suffering a horrific fall from a London stage a few weeks ago. While recuperating from his injuries, the star opened up about the royal family and shared his thoughts on the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Harry.

Sir Ian, who was awarded a knighthood by the queen in 1991, branded the late queen as 'rude' and 'quite mad' in her final years before her death. He also claimed Prince Harry wasn't 'bright enough' to handle life as a royal. The X-Men actor didn't stop there as he went on to call King Charles 'damaged'.

Prince Harry famously stepped down from royal duties and moved to Montecito with his gorgeous wife Meghan Markle, where they raise their two children, Archie and Lilibet. In a candid interview promoting his new film The Critic, Sir Ian discussed the impact of royal duties on people's mental health.

Sir Ian McKellen — The actor said Prince Harry was 'not bright enough' to cope with life in the royal family (Image: (Image: BBC ))

“Hats off to anyone who manages to stay sane in that world,” he explained. “Like the [late] Duke of Edinburgh 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."

Speaking to The Times, he went on to make a harsh remark about Prince Harry's intelligence, explaining: "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.”

While Price Harry's decision to quit the UK for a calmer life in America has left the nation divided, it seems Sir Ian is certainly team Harry. During the interview, he added: "I’m most definitely on Harry’s side. 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?"

It comes after Sir Ian suffered a serious fall from stage while playing the role of Falstaff in Henry IV part 1 & 2, wearing a fat suit to mimic a more rotund physique. He remembered tripping over a chair and sliding on a discarded newspaper.

Despite landing on an audience member, Sir Ian suffered a fractured wrist and vertebra. He recalled: "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."

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