House Of The Dragon: Rhaenyra To Alicent, Character Ages In Show Vs Books

House of the Dragon is everywhere these days. The fictional series is based on author Geroge R. R. Martin’s Fire & Blood from his series A Song of Ice and Fire. Recently, it has been hailed for the tasteful direction of the sex scenes in episode four, and episode five is already making headlines for its trailer depicting another 'Red Wedding' as we saw in one of the episodes of its predecessor, Game of Thrones.

The fictional world of George R. R. Martin is set in two different timelines. AC refers to the time after Aegon’s Conquest, while BC refers to the time before that. The screenplay of House of the Dragon is set in the after period.

However, similar to GoT, there have been many changes in the original plot line that the writers and directors have introduced in House of the Dragon. Did you know originally Rhaenyra Targaryen was nine years younger than Alicent Hightower?

Here is how the ages of the characters in House of the Dragon differ from the books.

Viserys Targaryen

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Originally, King Viserys I was born 77 AC and married 18-year old Alicent just before he turned 30. They were supposed to be 11 years apart.

However, on-screen Viserys is more aged, though it is not confirmed how old he is. Paddy Considine, the actor who plays the king, is 49 years old.

Rhaenyra Targaryen

In episode 2, Rhaenyra Targaryen is 15 years old, but in later episodes, she is shown as a 17-year-old woman ‘of age’ ready to get married.

In the book, she was born in 97 AC and would have been only nine when her father married Alicent. In real life, Milly Alcock is 22 years old.

Daemon Targaryen

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In the book, Daemon is only four years younger than his brother Viserys. He was born in 81 AC. However, in the series, we can see him much younger than Viserys. Matt Smith plays Daemon, and he is 39 years old.

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Ser Criston Cole

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According to the book, Ser Criston Cole was born in 81 AC. He was 16 years older than Princess Rhaenyra. In the series, there is a much lesser age difference between the two. Fabien Frankel, who plays the knight, is actually 28 years old. In episode four, Rhaenyra and Criston have sex after Daemon leaves her alone in the ‘house of pleasures’.

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Alicent Hightower

Born in 88 AC, Alicent Hightower was 13 years old when she came to King’s Landing with her father Otto, who was the Hand of the King until episode four.

In the book, she became the queen when she was only 18 and was supposed to be nine years older than Rhaenyra. Emily Carey, the actress who plays her on the show, is 19 years old.

Otto Hightower

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As per the book, Otto Hightower was born in 76 AC, making him only a year older than King Viserys I. Though his age is unclear in House of the Dragon, he certainly does not look young. Rhys Ifans is playing the character and is 55 years old in real life.

The upcoming episode of House of the Dragon will be the turning point for all the characters mentioned above. We can’t wait to see what will happen at Princess Rhaenyra’s wedding celebrations.

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