Actor Steve Coogan is facing a backlash after he branded Royal Family fans “flag-waving idiots”.
The Alan Partridge star accused royalists of supporting a “power structure” that holds back the working-class.
Speaking on GB News, royal expert Michael Cole said Coogan is wrong to suggest members of the family are “problematic”, and therefore more hassle than they are worth.
Cole called on Coogan to justify his stance to GB News presenter Patrick Christys, joking he would have to “come back down to Earth” before doing so.
Michael Cole encouraged Steve Coogan to stick to acting
GB NEWS / PA
He said the constitutional monarchy is Britain’s “best defence against extremism and dictatorship” in an impassioned rant about its values.
He added that the star who has appeared in various film and television productions playing the legendary comic character Alan Partridge should stick to what he knows best.
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“Steve Coogan is, to my knowledge, a very talented actor and a gifted comedian”, he said.
“But I’m not sure that I’m quite ready to take his views on anything at all apart from that.”
Cole continued by inviting Coogan onto GB News to present his view to Patrick Christys, after the presenter questioned why the millionaire comedian would “pour cold water” over royal enthusiasts.
“You'll have to pose that question to Mr. Coogan if he's not too important to come down to Earth and talk to mere mortals like you and me”, he said.
Steve Coogan is anti-monarchy
PA“They are enjoying their freedom, the freedom that comes from living in a constitutional monarchy, which encourages eccentricity, encourages people to do what they like.”
Speaking on the Off Menu podcast, Coogan said: “Most people who are into [the Royal family] are flag-waving people who, I think, are kind of idiots because they support a power structure that keeps a foot on the throat of working-class people and I’m just not really keen on that type of people.
“But having said that, the Queen worked very hard so she was alright – the rest of them, they’re problematic for me.”
The enthusiasm Britons have for the royal establishment has been laid bare on grand occasions such as King Charles III’s Coronation and the late Queen’s lying in state.
Michele Donelan, who served as culture secretary at the time of the latter event, previously revealed more than 250,000 people saw the monarch lying in state in London, with queues stretching for miles.
Coogan added he was a “bit torn” on the King.
He stated: “I do like King Charles’s Duchy of Cornwall produce even though I am an anti-monarchist.
“It’s interesting because I buy that stuff and I go ‘I don’t like having a Royal family but I do like his produce’ so I feel a bit torn.”