‘Game of Thrones’ Creators Explain Why Queen Elizabeth Refused the Iron ThroneLast year, the Queen of England visited the Belfast set of Game of Thrones but passed on the chance to sit in the Iron Throne. Now, the creators of the hit HBO show explain why. On the hit HBO series Game of Thrones, several different houses are angling for the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms. And they’ve done unspeakably evil things to get there, ranging from killing babies and twincest to “The Red Wedding.” So, when the real-life Queen of England passed up a chance to sit in the Iron Throne, it left showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss scratching their heads. You see, last June, Queen Elizabeth paid a much-ballyhooed visit to the set of Game of Thrones in Belfast, Northern Ireland. As the largest TV production in Europe, the series has created several thousand jobs for the people of Northern Ireland, and to pay them back, the queen met with Benioff and Weiss, as well as U.K. Thrones stars Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister), Kit Harington (Jon Snow), Maisie Williams (Arya Stark), and Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark).
When she 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 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.’”The highly anticipated fifth season of Game of Thrones returns April 12, and the creators also joked about how nervous their cast members are when they call them on the phone—you know, given the show’s penchant for knocking people off willy-nilly. “The call of death is always a mutual thing,” said Weiss. “If it’s David or Dan they might be OK, and if it’s David and Dan, it’s not good.” “Sometimes we’re just calling to say, ‘Hey, do you guys want to come out for dinner?’ but as soon as they get that phone call they think we’re calling to say, ‘You’re dead,’ like it’s the Grim Reaper on the line,” added Benioff.
Queen Elizabeth II visited the throne room on the set of "Game of Thrones" two years ago but didn't sit on the most coveted seat in Westeros. The Seven Kingdoms may have a queen, but her name isn’t Elizabeth. When Queen Elizabeth II visited the set of “Game of Thrones” in Northern Ireland two years ago, she turned down the chance to sit on Westeros’ most coveted seat, but it wasn’t out of respect for the ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. As it turns out, the British monarch isn’t allowed to sit on the throne, which according to author George R.R. Martin's narrative, is made up of a thousand swords surrendered in war. "Game of Thrones" showrunners revealed in a recent sitdow with Seth Meyers that the Queen was not allowed to sit in the giant chair. “Apparently the Queen of England is not allowed to sit on a foreign throne,” showrunner David Beionff explained in a recent appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers. “This is an esoteric rule we didn’t know about until that final moment.”
The Queen’s decision to respect tradition and turn down the Iron Throne, in spite of all the meme potential, is probably for the best given the contention surrounding it, though she would have fit in well with all the lady rulers who emerged in the most recent season of the HBO drama. And Khaleesi Elizabeth does have a nice ring to it. Send a Letter to the EditorGame of Thrones creators reveal reason Queen didn't sit on Iron Throne When the Queen made a highly-anticipated visit to the set of Game of Thrones last June, fans of the hit fantasy show were hoping for a very unique photo op – the British monarch taking a seat on the famous Iron Throne. The moment never came, and now the show's creators have revealed why they think that was. "Apparently the Queen of England is not allowed to sit on a foreign thrones," David Benioff and Dan Weiss explained this week during an appearance on Late Night with Seth Myers. "This is an esoteric rule we didn’t know about until that moment."
CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE The Queen admiring the Iron Throne during her visit to the Game of Thrones set During her visit to the Game of Thrones set in Belfast, Northern Ireland, the Queen met with David and Dan, as well as some of the British stars of the show, including Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister), Kit Harington (Jon Snow), Maisie Williams (Arya Stark) and Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark). She was given a close-up look at the famous Iron Throne, but politely declined the chance to sit on it. The fifth series of Game of Thrones is set to air on 12 April. Given the show's reputation for killing of leading characters, its two creators admitted that cast members are always nervous when they call them up on the phone. "The call of death is always a mutual thing," Dan revealed. "If it's David or Dan they might be OK. If it's David and Dan, it's not good." Game of Thrones creators Daniel Weiss (left) and David Benioff David added, "Sometimes we're just calling to say, 'Hey, do you guys want to come out for dinner?'
But as soon as they get that phone call they think we're calling to say, 'You're dead', like it's the Grim Reaper on the line." Earlier this month, David told Entertainment Weekly that fans are in for a treat when the new series begins. "Worlds are colliding," he said of the series, based on the books by George R.R. Martin. "We've had all these far-flung storylines across Westeros and Essos which almost never cross. Now some of these characters start to head on a collision course for each other." More about the queen Claire Foy thanks the Queen after Golden Globe win for The Crown: 'She is extraordinary' From Helen Mirren to Claire Foy: actresses who have portrayed the Queen Claire Foy on the pressures of portraying the Queen in The Crown: 'I had to forget about all the preconceived... Sign up to our Newsletter HERE!PHIL NOBLE / Today Britain’s undisputed monarch has paid a visit to the set of TV’s bloodiest, most contested kingdoms — "Game of Thrones".
On Tuesday, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip toured the set of a few memorable spots in the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, part of a 3-day state visit of Northern Ireland. PHIL NOBLE / Today The show’s executive producers and writers David Benioff and Dan Weiss led the tour starting with a viewing of costumes and props. The royals stopped to admire the medieval drama’s array of weaponry and clothing and chatted with the show’s members of staff. The team then moved on for a look at the most sought after seat in the land: the Iron Throne. The Queen was led into the throne room, where she met several cast members including Kit Harington, who plays Jon Snow, and Lena Headey, who plays the wicked Queen Cersei Lannister. The pinnacle moment came when her majesty was face-to-face with the Iron Throne, which according to the show is made up of a thousand swords surrendered in war and is full of spikes and jagged edges. The Queen admired the throne for a few moments but decided not to test the most uncomfortable seat ever made.
ARTHUR ALLISON / Today HBO's "Game of Thrones" is one of the biggest TV productions in Europe, pumping in $149 million dollars into Northern Ireland’s economy over the course of four seasons. The show has reportedly created 900 full-time and nearly 5,700 part-time jobs, in addition to creating a brand-new tourist industry attraction by offering fans the opportunity to tour scenes from the Seven Kingdoms, including the Stormlands, filmed in Cushendun Caves in County Antrim, and Riverrun, located at River Quoile, County Down. The Queen’s visit comes hot on the heels of the season 4 finale which drew in 9.3 million viewers. The episode also broke illegal download records with an astonishing 15 million downloads, according to piracy-monitoring blog TorrentFreak. This makes the fantasy medieval drama one of the most pirated TV shows ever, according to Jeff Bewkes, CEO of HBO’s parent company Time Warner. “'Game of Thrones' is the most pirated show in the world.