Queen Elizabeth II to Visit ‘Game of Thrones’ Set
The Lannisters and Starks will have to contend with one more royal family seeking control of the Seven Kingdoms when Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, visit the set of Game of Thrones on their upcoming trip to Northern Ireland.
Check Out Our Countdown of the 10 Most Dramatic Deaths on ‘Game of Thrones’
While the hit HBO show films throughout much of the country, the Queen and Duke will specifically stop by the giant studio facility it uses in the Titanic Quarter of Belfast. Game of Thrones has filmed there throughout its four-season run, and will continue to use the facility when production on the fifth season begins this summer.
The Queen’s visit, which was announced on the royal family’s Twitter, comes on the heels of Game of Throne‘s epic fourth season finale. Check out our recap of the last episode, as well as our rundown of this Season Four’s best moments.
Ahead of the fourth season, Game of Thrones star Kit Harrington — who plays Jon Snow — graced the Rolling Stone cover, and was featured in the magazine alongside the saga’s creator, George R.R. Martin. In a Q&A, the author of the A Song of Ice and Fire series spoke about how important it was to keep readers on their toes with proper twists and turns, as difficult as they may be to write.
“The moment the reader begins to believe that a character is protected by the magical cloak of authorial immunity, tension goes out the window,” Martin said, pointing to one of the series’ most gripping scenes. “The Red Wedding was tremendously hard to write… I loved those characters too much. But I knew what had to be done.”