--- title: "The amazing reason Queen Elizabeth refused to sit on the Iron Throne" description: "When Queen Elizabeth visited the set of HBO's Game of Thrones and met with its producers and cast, she refused to have a seat on the now-legendary chair." date: "2022-08-31" modified: "2022-08-31" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/queen-elizabeth-refused-sit-throne/" categories: - "Entertainment" - "Movies and TV" --- # The amazing reason Queen Elizabeth refused to sit on the Iron Throne ![]() *\Totally photoshopped. HBO\ Watch* It's not that she isn't fond of games. Or that she isn't fond of the show. Whatever she thinks of it, it employs upwards of thousands of her subjects. When Queen Elizabeth visited the set of HBO's *Game of Thrones* and met with its producers and cast, she refused to have a seat on the now-legendary chair. She just wasn't allowed. --- ![]() *Not photoshopped. HBO Max* "What a charming prop," she probably thought, thinking of her many, many actual thrones in her real-life palaces. What *Game of Thrones* fans among us haven't thought about getting a photo of themselves sitting in the chair that rightfully belongs to *King of the Andals and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, and Protector of the Realm*? When offered the chance for herself, *Queen Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God Queen of this Realm and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith*, declined. Showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss and cast members Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister), Kit Harington (Jon Snow), Maisie Williams (Arya Stark), and Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark) were left a little surprised. The Queen was very polite about the subject, but it was a polite refusal. It turns out, the Queen of England can't just sit on any throne she wants to. ![]() **Qing infantry battle British forces at the battle of Chinkiang during the First Opium War.* *R. Simkin/public domain** Unless it somehow \*becomes\* hers, I suppose. #Loopholes. An old, old tradition really does prohibit the reigning English monarch from even sitting on a foreign throne. Note: This is not an actual law preventing the practice, it's just a good practice that she's carried on from the days of yore. While the Queen's position is more of a ceremonial one these days, in some places, a King or Queen may actually wield the power of the state and sitting on the throne could be considered an act of aggression. When Kings and Queens meet, it seems like sitting only on appropriate chairs is just good practice. So avoiding the fictional Iron Throne was probably just good practice. The 95-year-old monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland doesn't need a special chair to feel important like the rest of us peasants. *Feature photo: The Iron Throne, HBO Max.* ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()