When the Queen of England was "bloody rude" to Lord of the Rings star Ian McKellan

Few actors are as universally beloved as Ian McKellan, whose long career on screen and stage has included iconic roles like the wizard Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings and Magneto in the X-Men movies. We're fantasy nerds here at Winter Is Coming, which means McKellan is practically royalty around these parts. But he's also met actual royalty. McKellan was knighted in 1991, and then elevated to the Order of Companions of Honour in 2008 by Queen Elizabeth II. And it sounds like the monarch didn't make a great impression on him.

The 85-year-old McKellan recently took a bad spill while performing in a theatre production of Player Kings in London. It was serious enough that he thought it might be "the end" when he went careening off the stage. Fortunately, it sounds like he's on the mend. He gave an interview with The Times of London where he reflected on the experience, as well as the time he met Queen Elizabeth II, who died in 2022.

"[O]n the few occasions I met her she was quite rude," McKellan recalled. "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*** about you because I don’t. Now off you go!’"

McKellan even went a step further, insisting that in order for The Times writer Michael Odell to fully grasp the Queen's rudeness, he needed to experience the sort of handshake she gave McKellan for himself.

“I’ll be the Queen,” McKellan said, offering his hand. When Odell went to shake it, McKellan shoved him away "with some force," and said, “That was her handshake and it meant, ‘Go! Go!’"

All that said, McKellan is not ignorant to the plight of the British royals, particularly the psychological toll it must take to be under such consistent public scrutiny. “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?”

"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. 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."

McKellan has devoted his life to his craft, and he remains entertaining both on stage and off. It doesn't sound like there's any actual bad blood here, but clearly the actor's got a long memory that would do Gandalf proud. Here's hoping that if he has any more royal encounters in the future, they go a bit smoother than the last.

As for when we'll see McKellan on stage or screen next, it sounds like he's pretty eager to get back to acting. "I want to get out there again," he said. With two new Lord of the Rings films in the works, he may just get his wish.

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h/t Deadline