Who is the father of Rhaenyra’s children on House of the Dragon?

There are a lot of questions about the legitimacy of Rhaenyra’s children in House of the Dragon. Who is the father of the three boys?

When it came to the question of Cersei’s loyalty in Game of Thrones, it was a little harder to say the children definitely weren’t Roberts. Joffrey, Marsella, and Tommen all had blonde hair like their mother (and their father, of course) so at least they looked like Cersei.

With House of the Dragon, there’s a lot of reason to question the legitimacy of Rhaenyra’s children. They don’t have the platinum hair of their parents—and both parents have that platinum hair. Instead, the boys have the same hair color as Rhaenyra’s sworn sword, Harwin Strong.

Did Rhaenyra have an affair in House of the Dragon?

There’s no doubt that Rhaenyra and Laenor’s marriage is one of obligation. There is no romantic love between them, although they do appear to have some respect for each other. Laenor isn’t even interested in women, and Rhaenyra hasn’t announced this to the world. She accepts it as long as her husband does his part.

It’s not surprising then that Rhaenyra is looking for love elsewhere. She turned to someone close to her whom she could trust, Harwin Strong. With the way Harwin is with the boys, it’s clear that he is their biological father. The boys even care deeply for Harwin, so when he had to leave King’s Landing, they were devastated. It’ll be even worse as they find out that Harwin is now dead—that is if they learn about the death.

In the book, Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin, the question of paternity was a little more in question. The boys didn’t have the dark hair, but they didn’t look like either of their parents. It led to rumors about Harwin being the father, but this wasn’t talked about as much. We have to remember that the book is written through stories from the Maesters so there are a lot of contradictory points and rumors used as fact.

The show makes it very clear to all of us that Laenor is not the father, but he does claim the boys. He’s not stupid enough not to claim the boys considering that would mean making it clear that his wife had an affair. Rhaenyra is the heir to the Iron Throne, and Laenor isn’t going to want to lose the chance to rule by her side.

However, the rumors are going to cause problems. The people of King’s Landing don’t want a queen, especially not one with likely illegitimate children. It’s time for the civil war to begin.

House of the Dragon airs Sundays on HBO and HBO Max.