Last year, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip traveled to Belfast. There were a lot of meetings and appearances on the monarch’s agenda, but what got the most attention was the Queen’s visit to the Belfast set of Game of Thrones (GoT is filmed all over the world, but much of King’s Landing is filmed in Belfast). She got to meet some cast members and see the Iron Throne in person. The photos of that moment – the Queen looking upon the massive, fictional Iron Throne – are now a part of pop culture iconography, and they became a meme (#WindsorIsComing).
Unfortunately, Queen Elizabeth did not sit upon the Iron Throne. It was sad and people were sort of upset that she didn’t take the opportunity for one of (arguably) the greatest photo-ops of her reign. As it turns out though, the Queen could NOT sit on the Iron Throne. There’s some sort of arcane “rule” about British monarchs sitting on “foreign thrones.” Er…?
When Queen Elizabeth was offered a shot at sitting in the Iron Throne, however, the queen politely declined. And now we know why.
“No, she’s not allowed to,” explained David Benioff on Wednesday’s Late Night with Seth Meyers. “Apparently, the Queen of England is not allowed to sit on a foreign throne, so this is an esoteric rule we didn’t know about until that moment. It looks like we’re saying, ‘Don’t touch, Queen.’”
You guys… it’s fictional!!! The Iron Throne isn’t a real “foreign throne”. I could possibly see where there would be complications if this were, say, a replica of an actual throne in use somewhere in the world. Or something like that. But let’s be clear: the Iron Throne is NOT a foreign throne. She could have taken a seat on the Iron Throne, but she chose not to.
… Or is the rule “the monarch will not sit on any throne other than her own”? If that’s the case, I could see where Liz was just following the rules, fictional or not.
Photos courtesy of Getty, WENN.
OK, but I assume she sits on the porcelain throne.
I’m sorry you guys, I had to. This deserves to be made fun of.
We were all thinking it. 🙂
Pocelain throne is more comfortable than the spiky iron thing looks
LOL! In this case, the obvious had to be spoken!
too bad i would have loved to see the picture.
It would have been the picture, that needed no words. It would have made a perfect image for the yearly royal Christmas/Holiday card.
Just a sweet face little lady dressed in her Sunday best, with her black clutch perched on her knee. Smiling brightly. Sitting on a bizarre looking throne.
The UK press would have lost their minds had it happen.
There is a fabulous photoshopped picture of her sitting on the throne floating around the internet.
It’s so well done that it looks authentic.
LAK, there were so many good ones in that meme! I’m torn between the full dress robes (from opening of Parliament) vs. Lilibet in battle regalia leaning on her sword.
Nota: the one in full parliamentary regalia. I don’t think i’ve seen the one in battle regalia. Going to google.
LAK, it was in the BuzzFeed The Best Of The Queen Vs. “Game Of Thrones”. They tucked the Nizam of Hyderabad necklace in there too.
You forgot to mention the Corgis!
THAT would break the internet !
I have a suspicion that this was the queen making a joke.
She does have a sense of humor. See the James Bond skit for the opening of the Olympics. I think it may also have been related to being dignified. She is about 5’3″ or 5’4″ (she’s getting smaller with age). She would have had to clamber up onto it and her feet would have dangled off the floor.
I just love her matchy colors.
Me, too. What would you call that purple one – fuschia? Fabulous.
Orchid. It is beautiful.
Orchid. Perfect!
She probably didn’t sit on it and avoided the photo-op so that silly stories about protocols that don’t actually apply didn’t get written. Sorry, Kaiser, but YKWIM!
Anyway. Charles’s letters are going to get published courtesy of the Supreme Court, so I’m sure we’ll have something actually meaty to talk about soon.
Charles’s letters? What years? That could be rather juicy.
The so-called black spider memos that the Guardian put in a freedom of information request for and has had to go all the way up to the Supreme Court to get. It’s all about whether or not Charles is actively participating in secret political lobbying.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_spider_memos
Sounds juicy!
Oh my, yes. That does sound like a topic that will be complex and fascinating to discuss.
I like Petty Betty.
Foreign as in German? Lol.
Yeah, I think it’s more a case of “don’t sit on any throne that’s not your own” more than anything else. And that (sort of) makes sense, though I do wish we could have seen QE on the Iron Throne…what an image that would have been!
You know, I kind of love that she behaved as if the Iron throne were real; it kind of legitimized the whole series, so many levels of subtle humor in there.
Considering the content of the TV show, I was surprised she even visited in the first place. It’s hardly a seemly series for a Queen to be a part of.
In for a penny, in for a pound though, so why back off at the crucial moment.
Her family history is constantly being mined for fiction including this show and books, so why would it be unseemly when she’s already seen or heard of every version of it?
Really?!
that’s interesting gossip. my goodness, I wonder who in her past is Cersei? Or Joffrey? hmmm.
Maybe that’s the point of acknowledging it’s a “foreign” throne.. as in, this is not about the British royal family!
There’s definitely some Wars of the Roses inspiration in the show. It’s not an accident that Stark and Lannister even sound like York and Lancaster!
I believe cersei is Isabella, known as the Shewolf of London. She was married toEdward II and had him murdered.
Edward II’s queen was known as the ‘She-Wolf’ of France and only got that name centuries after she had died. I
Edward II was a terrible and incompetent king, who let his favourite Hugh Despenser terrorize anyone he liked. He was politically worthless as well. Example: he let an earlier favourite take the place of honour at his wedding above his wife, while also giving the favourite her jewels. This even though Isabella was the sole daughter of the French King Philippe IV at a time when the French royal house had high prestige and great power in Europe. Isabella had other reasons to dislike him: at one point, when the nobility started to revolt and she was still on his side, he left her almost unprotected, while fleeing with his favourite.
Military speaking, he was a nitwit as well. “Robert the Bruce of Scotland said it well: I’m more afraid of your father’s bones than I am of you”.
When Isabella finally turned against her husband after many insults and displays of incompetency, she invaded England and took over with full support of almost everyone. She made mistakes and had an affair with a noble (who had also stayed loyal to Edward until he became unbearable), but she’s hardly a Cersei.
If you want a beautiful Queen on a powertrip, without having the brains to match it: Isabella of Angouleme is your pick.
George R.R Martin was inspired by the “Accursed Kings” series, which is based on French history in the 13th-15th centuries, including Isabella of France’s doomed marriage to Edward II.
It’s a well-written, well-acted show that is hiring loads of British people and bringing tons of money into the British economy and she very well may like the show. My 86 year old aunt loves it.
Plus, they like to highlight anything that brings money into the Northern Irish economy (it’s doing pretty well for TV and film locations). Lots of bridges to be mended there even now.
We must be watching 2 different shows ; )
I love your 86 year old aunt!
My mom (age 82) binge watches Game of Thrones when we get a free preview weekend on HBO. She’s too cheap to actually pay to get HBO.
I got my 75 year old mother into The Game of Thrones; she loved it, but thought it was a tad racey.
She missed a perfect opportunity to park her handbag on it, like a placeholder. You know, show everyone who’s boss.
I think it’s cute that she “respects” the Iron Throne as a foreign throne. Sure, I don’t think she’d have caused any scandal if she had sat on it (other than repercussions from breaking the Internet). I think it was rather a clever joke.
allergic to metal?
that explains all those diamonds and golds 😀
I thought it would have more to do with it taking away the dignity of her position by hamming it up on a cable television show’s prop. She’s never played that game before, she’s a pretty austere figure.
It would have been so awesome if she had posed on that thing reading The Daily Mail.
QE was definitely Arya. She ain’t got time for your sass.
Well considering the History of Ireland, Belfast in particular, I am not at all surprised she did not sit on the Throne.
I don’t watch Game of Thrones, nor have I read the books. I like fantasy, just never got into those ones. My husband says they are very good though, so I may pick them up at some point. However, I don’t think Queen Elizabeth was too concerned about a “photo op”. I think she is playful when she wants to be (like when she drove the Jordanian ((I think)) head of state around for his visit just to annoy him, or when she made the photo bomb behind the school girls), but I think it is on her time, not everyone else’s.
I’m pretty sure it was just a tongue-in-cheek thing.
Absolutely LOVE the Queen. LOVE her. So fab.
God Bless The Queen
QE11 is the only decent current member of this royal family. Respect and admiration.