Go Unlimited with Magzter GOLD
Get unlimited access to 10,000+ magazines, newspapers and Premium stories for just
Try GOLD - Free
McKellen took knighthood through lack of 'principle'
The Independent
|September 08, 2024
Sir Ian McKellen has explained why he accepted a knighthood after considering turning down the offer.
The Lord of the Rings actor was knighted by Elizabeth II in 1991 for services to the performing arts, and in 2008 was given the Order of the Companions of Honour for services to drama and to equality. However, Sir Ian, who said he found the monarch “quite rude” on “the few occasions” he met her, claimed he would have turned down becoming a “sir” if he was “a man of adamant principle”.
Sir Ian said in an interview with
This story is from the September 08, 2024 edition of The Independent.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM The Independent
The Independent
Suspected Ebola cases in DR Congo surpass 900
Arson attacks on Ebola treatment centres in eastern Congo have starkly illuminated the profound and complex challenges facing authorities as they battle a global health emergency.
2 mins
May 25, 2026
The Independent
Pelicot describes finding love again after rape ordeal
French rape survivor Gisele Pelicot has described the moment she fell in love and was able to trust again after her ordeal.
1 mins
May 25, 2026
The Independent
Engine failure stops Russell as Antonelli widens big lead
A furious George Russell retired from the Canadian Grand Prix as Kimi Antonelli claimed a fourth successive win to extend his championship lead after a pulsating battle with his title rival.
2 mins
May 25, 2026
The Independent
Trump is showing weakness in how he deals with Taiwan
An unreliable ally in the West, Donald Trump is now signalling that the US is happy to abandon its friends in Asia with the suspension of a $14bn arms sale to Taiwan after his visit to China’s leader, Xi Jinping.
2 mins
May 25, 2026
The Independent
Confessions of a lido lover
As temperatures soar, millions will flock to our local lido, but it’s not all sunshine and soft breezes. After a chequered past, a dark cloud hangs over their future, too
6 mins
May 25, 2026
The Independent
The great British summer is becoming dangerously hot
The prospect of a bank holiday weekend with temperatures in the high 20s and early 30s will fill many with joy, and rightly so.
3 mins
May 25, 2026
The Independent
Ukraine and Russia’s drone war spreading into Europe
The war between Russia and Ukraine has brought an unlikely weapon to the forefront – the unmanned aerial vehicle, better known as a drone – changing the landscape of global conflict.
4 mins
May 25, 2026
The Independent
Could travel operator do more about our Peru trip?
My wife and I are currently in Puno, Peru, at the end of our first week of what was supposed to be a three-week tour through Peru and Bolivia.
1 mins
May 25, 2026
The Independent
Playful and, in parts, quite sexy for an octogenarian
Macca delivers some of his most personal and introspective songwriting in years on ‘The Boys of Dungeon Lane’, making amends for a few recent misfires, writes Roisin O’Connor
2 mins
May 25, 2026
The Independent
Iran’s young protesters hide in endless fear of execution
Demonstrators on the run as death sentences surge, with some badly injured protesters too scared to go to hospital
4 mins
May 25, 2026
Listen
Translate
Change font size