Essentially, it’s a creative decision that has been in the works from the start. While Game Of Thrones followed the travels and tales of multiple houses and characters, it was mostly linear. House Of The Dragon, however, incorporates a massive 10-year time-jump, throwing us forward into the future to meet a now older Rhaenyra during childbirth.

Most other characters in the show are still being played by the original cast members, with Alcock and Carey being replaced due to their younger ages – 22 and 19 respectively. In this sense, the age jump is logical, given that the physical appearance of the younger cast would appear much more jarring when we skip to the future compared to the already slightly older cast members. But there’s also a symbolic significance to be found – the transition for these two characters from girls to women is a notable one, given that a good amount of the story’s essence rests on how they navigate through a world ruled by men.

According to Alcock, however, there doesn’t seem to have been much of a handover between her and D’Arcy.

“We wanted to have a meeting with [director Miguel Sapochnik] and have a discussion about Rhaenyra’s progression as a character,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. “Miguel was like, ‘Just trust that you both have it.’ I think he was aware we would be trying to mimic each other.”

HBO’s House Of The Dragon: the time jump in the Game Of Thrones prequel series, explained