Who Is the Father of Rhaenyra Targaryen’s Sons in House of the Dragon?

House of the Dragon is back and with a second season on the air, you’ve probably forgotten details from Season 1. One of these is who exactly fathered Rhaenyra’s kids. While it isn’t a simple answer, here’s what we know.

Who Is the Father of Rhaenyra Targaryen’s Kids?

It isn’t known exactly who is the father of Rhaenyra Targaryen’s sons, but it is heavily suggested that they were fathered by Sir Harwin Strong, not her husband Laenor Velaryon.

In the book Fire & Blood which the House of the Dragon show is adapted from we never get a concrete answer to whether or not they are Strong’s kids, but given their striking resemblance to him, and the lack of any resemblance to Velaryon, it’s almost a sure thing that Rhaenyra was having an affair.

The House of the Dragon series provided more insight into this arrangement, revealing that Laenor was into men and suggesting he and Rhaenyra agreed to see other people while appearing as a happily married couple in their public lives. This would have provided every opportunity for Rhaenyra to be with Harwin Strong and for him to father the three kids.

Further evidence comes from the fact that Strong was given such a major role in Rhaenyra and the boy’s lives, as well as him being the first to greet their third child Joffrey when he was born, instead of her husband, and supposed father of the boy Laenor.

Like some other aspects of George R.R. Martin’s stories, we’ll probably never get a concrete answer on who the father is, but we would suggest that all of the evidence pointing to Strong means it’s most likely him.

In the show House of the Dragon Laenor appears to be alive so perhaps in the future we’ll get some extra information on the matter, but for now, don’t expect anything more than these rumors.

You can stream House of the Dragon Season 2 on Max.