Ian McKellen's Wizardly Royal Roast! 'Lord of the Rings' Actor Says Prince Harry 'Not Bright Enough' for Royal Duties and Lays Into Late Queen Elizabeth and King Charles

In a wide-ranging interview with The Times, acclaimed performer Sir Ian McKellen let his thoughts be known on whose side he takes in Prince Harry's feud with the royal family.

The actor, who memorably played Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, told the publication that he is "most definitely on Harry's side."

In addition to sharing his current reading past-time — Harry's 2023 memoir Spare — the Gods and Monsters star said about the royal family, "They can’t do anything normal. Can you imagine having to be nice to everyone you talk to?"

He then stated how being a working, senior royal is akin to "being in prison." The award-winning theater legend then added how he appreciates anyone who could "stay sane in that world."

"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," in what some analysts say is likely a veiled swipe at Meghan Markle," he added of the Duke of Sussex.

He praised the late Prince Philip's ability to do so, before observing how he suspected the late consort was "deeply unhappy." The former Duke of Edinburgh performed thousands of royal engagements from 1952 when his wife came to the throne until his retirement in 2017.

He said King Charles III, who succeded Elizabeth II on September 8, 2022, "sort of survives" the royal whirlwind, which for a senior royal, ends only with death, but he is "clearly damaged" by it today.

McKellen was knighted for his services to the arts in 1991, with Elizabeth II bestowing the honor on him. The X-Men star later received a Companion of Honour recognition from the monarch in 2008, where he spilled how Her late Majesty was "quite rude" to him.

"You've been doing this for an awfully long time", the Queen said to McKellen.

"Well, not as long as you," the actor replied when pointing out her nearly 60 years on the throne at the time.

McKellen then shared how the monarch smiled at him before asking if anyone even goes to the theater anymore, which is thought was "b----- rude." The British icon also shared how he felt the sovereign was "quite mad at the end."

These insights follow the actor's recent injury in June when he fell off a London theater stage when performing in a rendition of Shakespeare's Henry IV. The 85-year-old Tony Award winner suffered a fractured vertebra and snapped his wrist in the process.