Acclaimed director and writer Mike Leigh has been his usual frank self when it comes to the Royal Family as he admitted the Queen’s death had been ‘an emotional thing’ – but was less complimentary about King Charles III.
Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8 at Balmoral Castle and is currently lying in state at Westminster Hall, with her coffin open to public viewings until her state funeral on Monday September 19.
The bank holiday which has been declared will see many shops and services close their doors to pay respect to the late sovereign, while some cinema venues are offering free screenings of the occasion.
Upon his mother’s death, King Charles became monarch automatically, formalising his role in the accession ceremony on Saturday.
Recalling his previous meetings with the Queen in the wake of her death, the Life Is Sweet and Mr Turner director and lifelong socialist commented: ‘I’ve met the Queen several times. At a Buckingham Palace event she said, “Hello, how do you do?” and I said, “I’ve just made a film called Vera Drake which won the Lion at Venice.”
‘She said, “Oh.’” I said, “Yes, it’s a film about the 1950s illegal abortionist.” She changed the subject. Fair enough. Fair dos.’
‘For all one’s Republican notions, you can’t help feel [that] it’s part of stuff. It’s rather dominated our lives. It was quite an emotional thing,’ Leigh told City AM, reflecting on the national mood, as well as his own feelings.
However, any sentimentality ended there as he couldn’t resist bestowing his own less than flattering moniker on the new king, adding: ‘What it’ll be like in the reign of King Charles the Turd? I don’t know. That’s another matter.’
The Palme d’Or winner and seven-time Oscar nominee wrote for The Guardian in 2002: ‘I would very much like to carry a passport with ‘Republic of Britain’ on it before I die. The notion of a hereditary monarchy is a ludicrous anachronism.
‘While the hereditary aspect of the monarchy is completely untenable, and can’t be sustained in the 21st century, the notion of a head of state above parliamentary politics makes absolute sense. It cannot be hereditary, so we need a president of some kind.’
Leigh’s most recent film, 2018’s Peterloo, told the story of the 1819 Peterloo Massacre where British forces attacked a peaceful pro-democracy rally in Manchester, and starred Maxine Peake and Rory Kinnear.
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