House of the Dragon: Who plays Lady Rhea Royce? Meet actor Rachel Redford

House of the Dragon Episode 5 begins with showing Lady Rhea Royce talking to her cousin and after that, to Daemon Targaryen. Now, fans want to know who Lady Rhea Royce is and who played her role in the TV Series.

House of the Dragon is the prequel to the popular TV show Game of Thrones, and it also has every aspect that can keep viewers invested. Moreover, each episode of the show has introduced us to several new characters, including Daemon’s wife, Lady Rhea Royce.

Now people have started looking for everything around the character, given that her journey was relatively small compared to other characters in the series.

Note: Spoilers ahead for Episode 5 House of the Dragon

Who is Lady Rhea Royce in House of the Dragon?

Lady Reena was the ruling lady of Runestones and the head of House Royce. That’s why King Viserys’ predecessor King Jaehaerys I, and his wife, Queen Alysanne, chose her to be the wife of their Grandson, Daemon. The marriage of two royal blood seemed to be perfect, but in reality, Daemon and Lady Rhea never had any love, affection, or respect for each other. Apparently, Daemon used to insult Rhea by saying that the sheep of the Vale were prettier than her. Charming!

The primary reason for Daemon disliking his wife was the Vale of Arryn, which the prince found quite dull. And as he wanted to get rid of Lady Rhea, he kept Lady Mysaria as a mistress.

• MORE: The Rings of Power: Is Sauron a Vala or a Maia like Gandalf?

How did Lady Rhea Royce die?

Looking at the TV show, Lady Rhea Royce was killed by her husband, Daemon Targaryen, who smashed her head in with a big stone after her horse flung her off, leaving her unable to move.

However, in the books, Lady Rhea fell from her horse, and her head was bumped into a stone, but she died just when she was about to recover. Unlike the TV show, Daemon wasn’t the one to kill Lady Rhea in the books.

According to the book, when Daemon came to know about her demise, he came from Bloodstone for her funeral. However, his intentions were never pure as he tried to acquire the lands of Vale and the House Royce’s incomes. His claims were not approved by Lady Rhea’s nephew, who succeeded Rhea after her death.

Meet Rachel Redford

Rachel Redford brought Lady Rhea Royce to life by portraying the character in House of the Dragon. We rarely see a character leaving an impact in the viewers’ hearts, even after their brief appearance. The same happened when we saw Lady Rhea in the TV show, thanks to Rachel’s impeccable performance.

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Rachel has previously appeared in The Return of the Yuletide Kid, Gap year, and more. She appeared in several TV shows, but her most notable performance was in the Shadow and Bone TV series, where she played Fruszi in several episodes.