Game of Thrones just ended its epic fourth season a couple of weeks ago. While fans may have expected a break from news while GOT gears up for Season 5, as it turns out, Game of Thrones has some very relevant news, thanks to a visit from a very important British Monarch. Recently, the Queen of England popped over to see the set of HBO’s hit series, and on Monday The Buzz and Game of Thrones released a cool behind-the-scenes video documenting the event.
As the video begins, some fancy looking vehicles pull up in front of the Game of Thrones set in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Producers David Benioff and D. B. Weiss have on suit coats, but the cast also looks sharp, with the actors wearing fancy dresses and suits with ties. It’s good they dressed up, because Queen Elizabeth II is also looking pretty snazzy, wearing a light-colored suit and a hat that would fit in well at the Kentucky Derby. Fittingly, they take the Queen to visit the room where the Iron Throne sits. At one point, Maisie Williams, who plays Arya on the show, says that the cast and crew were hoping she’d actually sit on the Iron Throne, but with the wisdom and expertise she’s accrued during her short years, she "knew" that would never happen. Honestly, that would have made a great Tumblr image, but I’m not the least bit surprised she didn’t sit down.
If you’ve been around the Internet over the past week, you may have already seen some images of the cast shaking hands with Queen Elizabeth II around the Iron Throne. What’s interesting is the awe and awkwardness the cast all discuss demonstrating around the monarch when she visited the set. It totally makes sense. I think anyone would be a little in awe of meeting a prominent social and political figure, but the Game of Thrones cast is mostly British, and they each got the added opportunity to meet an important figure from within their own culture. Celebrities awed by another type of celebrity—now that’s something you don’t see every day.
The video above is likely the last chance fans will get to see any behind-the-scenes footage for some time. While HBO has already renewed Game of Thrones for both Season 5 and Season 6, new episodes are not expected to hit the schedule until 2015. If the last few years have been any indication, the show will pop up for Season 5 in the spring of next year. Luckily, right now HBO still has a lot going for it, scheduling-wise, to tide fans over. Currently, the network is running the last season of the long-running vampire drama True Blood. The network also premiered the long-awaited Damon Lindelof series, The Leftovers, this week.
Despite the good stuff on HBO, the video is a reminder of how culturally relevant Game of Thrones has gotten and how long it will be before it officially becomes a talking point, again. See you in 2015.
