When you visit Belfast, you have to see the studio where Game of Thrones is filmed, even if you are the Queen of England. The Royal Family’s office officially announced on Wednesday that Queen Elizabeth II is planning on seeing where Westeros is brought to life.
In a tweet today, the British Monarchy said that the Queen and her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, will be visiting Northern Ireland next week. During a stop in Belfast, they will see the Game of Thrones set.
While this may sound like a sign that the Queen is a big fan of the show, that likely isn’t the main reason for the visit. Game of Thrones is likely the biggest television production in Europe, notes The Belfast Telegraph. It brings an economic benefit of £82 million ($139 million) to Northern Ireland and is responsible for creating 900 full-time and 5,700 part-time jobs.
Game of Thrones just wrapped its fourth season in the U.S. on Sunday night on HBO. The show is also broadcast in the U.K., where the season four premiere set a ratings record when it aired in April.
In the U.S., the season four finale drew 9.3 million viewers over multiple airings Sunday night.
Even if the Queen isn’t a huge fan of the show, she can’t miss an opportunity to sit on the Iron Throne.
As part of the visit to Northern Ireland The Queen and The Duke will tour the @GameOfThrones set in the Titanic quarter #Belfast #GoT
— BritishMonarchy (@BritishMonarchy) June 18, 2014
image courtesy of Zak Hussein/INFphoto.com