Sir Ian McKellen recently opened up about his opinions on the British royal family, particularly Prince Harry.
In an interview with Michael Odell for The Times, McKellen showed his support for Harry, especially after recently recovering from a fall off a theater stage in London.
“I’m most definitely on Harry’s side,” McKellen remarked. “Imagine being born into the royal family. I’ve had some public life exposure, but they seem trapped. They can’t experience anything normal. Can you picture having to be pleasant to everyone you encounter?”
He expressed doubt about Harry’s ability to manage royal responsibilities and public scrutiny. “Hats off to anyone who remains sane in that environment,” he noted, alluding to the late Duke of Edinburgh’s struggles. “The current king has his own issues as well.”
On Harry, he commented, “I don’t think he has the intellect or circle to support himself properly. But I hope he chose wisely, especially regarding his marriage to Meghan Markle.”
In the same talk, McKellen talked about his painful stage accident, where he fractured his vertebrae and wrist while performing in Player Kings. “When I slipped, I thought, this could be it. I was uncertain what ‘it’ was, but I was ready to accept that maybe I was about to die,” he said.
Interestingly, the actor credited the fat suit he wore for the character Falstaff for cushioning his fall. “I believe it saved me. I had a lucky escape,” he shared with Saga Magazine. “It was an upsetting incident… I keep telling myself I’m still fit to perform; it was just an unfortunate accident.”
McKellen concluded, “I felt a lot of shame for not being able to return to the tour as planned.”