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."
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."