Queen Elizabeth Visits 'Game of Thrones' Set
The queen and Prince Philip are touring Northern Ireland.
June 24, 2014 -- Queen Elizabeth II sits atop the throne of the United Kingdom but today it was another seat of power in her sights, this one the sword-covered Iron Throne made famous by the HBO hit “Game of Thrones.”
The queen and her husband, Prince Philip, visited the series’ Belfast set while on a three-day tour of Northern Ireland.
The Royals were met at the set by “Game of Thrones” creators David Benioff and Dan Weiss, who gave them a rundown of the show, perhaps without too many spoilers in case they missed the dramatic Season 4 finale that aired earlier this month.
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“Game of Thrones” has been filmed in Northern Ireland since 2009, according to palace officials. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip visited the show’s set at the Paint Hall studio in the Titanic Quarter.
In addition to touring the set and getting an up-close look at many of the show’s props, including the costumes and custom-made armory, the Royals also met with some of the show’s cast members.
Actors Lena Headey (Queen Cersei Lannister), Kit Harington (Jon Snow), Conleth Hill (Lord Varys), Rose Leslie (Ygritte), Maisie Williams (Arya Stark) and Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark) were photographed smiling, and wearing decidedly noncharacter attire, as they greeted the queen.
With all eyes upon her, Queen Elizabeth chose not to sit in the Iron Throne, as some visitors to the set are said to do, but just inspected it from a safe distance instead.
“Game of Thrones” is the biggest TV production in Europe, according to palace officials.
