Who would’ve thought that the Queen is as big a fan of the Starks and Daenerys’ dragons as we are? Yes that’s right, the British Monarchy’s official Twitter account tweeted on Wednesday that Queen Elizabeth will be visiting part of the hit HBO series Game of Thrones set during her visit to Northern Ireland. “As part of the visit to Northern Ireland The Queen and The Duke will tour the Game Of Thrones set in the Titanic quarter #Belfast #GoT,” read the tweet, reported People magazine.
The hit television programme depicts violent clashes between several families as they compete for the throne of a fictional country and now, the set will play host to a ruler who has managed to hold her throne a good bit longer than any of her fictional counterparts in the popular HBO series. This sounds pretty unreal, doesn’t it? Well, the way things are going, maybe there is a chance that the world will get a photo of Queen Elizabeth sitting atop the Iron Throne.
While us diehards have to wait months to get their weekly dose of Game of Thrones, Her Majesty — along with husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh – will be sailing onto the Belfast set for a sneak peak of where season 5 will be shot. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will be going round the area for a series of public engagements between June 23 and June 25, according to a statement from Buckingham Palace, leaving them just enough time to brush up on the latest Lannister-Stark-Baratheon updates, reported Elle magazine. The part of Northern Ireland that the royals are visiting is where scenes featuring the Wall and the Eyrie are shot, reported Time. Hasn’t anybody ever told Britian’s matriarch that “when you play the game of thrones, you win or you die?”
The finale of Game of Thrones season four gathered over a million viewers. It has been estimated to be the biggest TV production in Europe and its first four seasons have been credited with bringing a direct economic benefit of £82 million to Northern Ireland, creating the equivalent of more than 900 full-time and 5,700 part-time jobs, reported Telegraph. The show has boosted the economy of Northern Ireland by nearly $140 million; the Queen of England just might want to formally thank the production staff at the set before asking Peter Dinklage to spar with her for a photo. The show was recently renewed by HBO for seasons five and six.
Other notable engagements in the Queen and Duke’s schedule include a visit to the historic Crumlin Road Gaol. The Royal couple will also be guests at a reception and lunch at Belfast City Hall and will attend a garden party at Hillsborough Castle. The royal couple will also attend a British Legion reception in Coleraine in Co Londonderry where The Queen will launch a programme of activities commemorating the First World War.
Get ready, winter… oh wait no, I mean, the Queen is coming.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 21st, 2014.
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