Who is Queen Helaena Targaryen in House of the Dragon and who plays her?
Meet the new Queen of Westeros.
As the second season comes to a close, one figure in House of the Dragon has proven more prominent than before: Queen Helaena Targaryen.
Following the dark debut scenes of the season featuring Blood and Cheese from the beloved novel Fire & Blood, Helaena has had to cope with intense tragedy.
Helaena, played by Phia Saban, is the daughter of the late King Viserys I Targaryen (Paddy Considine) and Olivia Cooke's Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower.
Forced to marry her brother King Aegon II in order to keep the Targaryen bloodline pure, actress Saban has teased exclusively to RadioTimes.com that in season 2, Helaena is "coming into her own and realising that maybe she's not willing to sacrifice what she has to sacrifice for this family of absolute wrong ‘uns!"
This certainly was the case in the second season. So, who is Queen Helaena Targaryen and what lies ahead for her?
Who is Queen Helaena Targaryen in House of the Dragon?
Princess Helaena Targaryen is the only daughter of King Viserys I Targaryen and his second wife Queen Alicent Hightower.
Helaena is the younger half-sister of Crown Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, the younger sister of Aegon Targaryen, and the older sister of Prince Aemond Targaryen and Prince Daeron Targaryen.
A curious, sweet but insightful young woman, Helaena has been shown in the show to have an interest in small animals.
In later episodes, Alicent decides to marry Helaena to Aegon to strengthen the latter's claim to the Iron Throne and keep the Targaryen bloodline pure in the tradition of Old Valyria.
As a result of Aegon and Helaena's marriage, the pair in the series had two children:
- Prince Jaehaerys Targaryen
- Princess Jaehaera Targaryen
With Aegon having been controversially named as the King on the Iron Throne, Helaena is his Queen Consort.
As a dragonrider, Helaena's mount is the dragon Dreamfyre, but she does not ride her often.
In season 2, with the battle between the Greens and the Blacks set to kick off, Helaena suffered a grievous loss when Blood and Cheese murdered her son Jaehaerys in front of her.
As Helaena coped with these changes and the increased anger among the smallfolk of King's Landing, she shut herself away in the Red Keep.
What powers does Queen Helaena Targaryen have with her visions?
By the end of the season, it became clear that Helaena is a seer and does not just have visions of the future but can enter the visions of others, including her uncle King Consort Daemon Targaryen.
Through her visions, Helaena is aware that her brother Aemond tried to kill King Aegon II and she refuses to aid him in the war against the Blacks.
Helaena also warns Aemond that Aegon will reclaim his throne atop a wooden chair and that Aemond would die in the God's Eye.
Who plays Queen Helaena Targaryen in House of the Dragon?
Queen Helaena is portrayed by two actresses in House of the Dragon, one as a teenager and one as an adult woman.
Evie Allen
Instagram: @evieallenn_
Princess Helaena Targaryen is portrayed in her adolescence by actress Evie Allen.
This is Allen's first television acting role.
Allen portrays Helaena in two episodes, the sixth episode, The Princess and the Queen, and the seventh episode Driftmark.
In these instalments, Helaena is shown to be highly insightful with a hint that she possesses some kind of foresight.
Phia Saban
Age: 25
Instagram: @phiasaban
Princess Helaena Targaryen is portrayed as an adult by actress Phia Saban.
Saban first appears as Helaena in the eighth episode of the first season of House of the Dragon, titled Lord of the Tides.
In this episode, Helaena is shown to be married to Aegon and to have given birth to his children.
Outside of House of the Dragon, Saban portrayed Aelfwynn in the BBC/Netflix historical drama series The Last Kingdom.
House of the Dragon season 2 will air on Sky Atlantic and NOW in the UK from 17th June – find out more about how to sign up for Sky TV.
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