Who is Lady Rhea Royce? (House of the Dragon)

The long-awaited Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon has landed. We’re back in Westeros nearly 200 years before the original series, and already the backstabbing, politicking, and bloodshed have begun. Drawing over 10 million households for its premiere episode, House of the Dragon is off to a prodigious start; it’s the most successful series premiere in the network’s history.

Like Game of Thrones before it, House of the Dragon features an enormous cast of characters. Some like Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock/Emma D’Arcy) and King Viserys (Paddy Considine) are major players that we’ll see quite a lot throughout the show. Others may pop in and out.

One character who was mentioned several times in the premiere episode is Lady Rhea, the wife of the king’s brother Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith). Daemon is none too fond of his lady wife; in the premiere we learned that Daemon has not been back to the Vale, where Lady Rhea resides, in quite some time.

But who exactly is Lady Rhea? Let’s go over what we know.

LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 07: Rachel Redford attends a special screening of The Donmar Warehouse production of “The Vote” at the Ham Yard Hotel, generously supported by Chapel Down, on May 7, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Getty Images for Donmar Warehouse) /

Lady Rhea on House of the Dragon

Lady Rhea is a scion of one of the great houses of the Vale: House Royce, which makes its seat at Runestone. You might remember Bronze Yohn Royce (Rupert Vansittart) from Game of Thrones. There’s also Ser Waymar Royce (Rob Ostlere), the impetuous Night’s Watch officer who was killed by a White Walker in the series premiere of Game of Thrones. Both are distant descendants of Lady Rhea’s family, though not of her directly.

Not much is said about Lady Rhea Royce in George R.R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood, beyond Daemon’s none-too-kind feelings for her. Theirs is a troubled marriage. He often calls Lady Rhea “my bronze bitch,” after the runic bronze armor worn by the lords of House Royce.

Though we didn’t see Lady Rhea in the premiere, she will turn up eventually on House of the Dragon. She’s played by Rachel Redford in the series.

As for Lady Rhea’s fate, look away now if you don’t want spoilers from Fire & Blood.

While Daemon goes to all sorts of lengths to avoid returning to his wife in the Vale, there comes a point in the lead-up to the Dance of the Dragons where he once more finds himself a bachelor. In Fire & Blood, Daemon receives word that Lady Rhea fell from her horse while hawking and cracked her skull on a stone. She dies several days later. This leads Daemon to return to the Vale in hopes of laying claim to her ancestral seat and lands, though his claim is denied by Lady Jeyne of the Eyrie. Moreover, Daemon is told he is now “unwelcome” in the Vale. So don’t count on him making any friends there considering his treatment of Lady Rhea.

As for how House of the Dragon handles Rhea and Daemon’s relationship, we’ll have to wait and see.

House of the Dragon premieres new episodes on HBO and HBO Max Sundays at 9:00 p.m. EST.

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