The veteran stage and screen actor, 85, was knighted for services to the performing arts in 1991 and Queen Elizabeth II personally appointed him Companion of Honour (CH) for his services to drama and to equality in a ceremony in 2008.

Speaking to The Times, he said: “The Queen, I’m sure she was quite mad at the end. And on the few occasions I met her she was quite rude.

“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!’”.

The Lord Of The Rings actor also said he was “most definitely on Harry’s side”, seemingly in reference to the furore that followed after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex revealed their intention to quit their roles as senior royals in 2020.

It comes after Sir Ian told the Big Issue he is looking to “take the rest of the year off” from acting following a fall on stage.

The two-time Oscar nominee lost his footing while he was acting in a play in June at the Noel Coward Theatre and has since been suffering from wrist and neck injuries.

He later withdrew from the national tour of Player Kings, in which he played John Falstaff, after his fall from the West End stage.