Photo: Liam Daniel | HBO

Near the beginning of House of the Dragon season 3 episode 5, Queen Rhaenyra finally gets some glad news.

“Your Grace, glad news! [Ed Note: See, I wasn’t lying about the ‘glad news’ part]” a nameless servant informs the dragonqueen. “Young Prince Joffrey has returned this hour from The Vale. I’m told he’s asked for you.”
Rhaenyra’s reaction to this statement is inscrutable. It seems as though both one million and precisely zero emotions cross her face all at once. Ultimately she responds with a curt “I will come to him when I’m able. I’m sure he’s tired.” Later on, after another day filled with the weight of governance, Rhaenyra finally does visit this Prince Joffrey, only to find the little child fast asleep in his bed, watched over by yet another nameless attendant.

“He tried to stay awake for you, Your Grace,” the woman says. This time Rhaenyra says nothing, just gazes at the snoozing boy meaningfully and walks out of the room.

So who is this Prince Joffrey? He’s one of Rhaenyra’s five sons, of course – sent to the Vale for safety while the Dance of the Dragons rages across the continent. Most of you reading this probably recalled that fact but still wanted to make sure, hence the “house of the dragon who is prince joffrey” googling.

And there’s no shame in that! There are many, many, many named characters in these series, some of whom have similar names (or in Joffrey’s case an identical name to another prince from Game of Thrones). Even if you remembered who Joffrey is, you might need some help recalling where he’s been and why Rhaenyra seems so unsteady about his return. Let us help out with that.

Prince Joffrey Velaryon (played by Oscar Eskinazi) is Queen Rhaenyra Tagaryen’s third of five children (all of them sons) and the last child she “had” with her first husband Laenor Velaryon. We put “had” in quotation marks because it’s common knowledge across the realm that none of Laenor’s three children – Jacaerys, Lucerys, and Joffrey – with Rhaenyra are actually his biological offspring.

Before he was “killed” (but in actuality fled to Essos) Laenor infamously preferred the romantic company of men. In fact, Prince Joffrey is named after Laenor’s first love Ser Joffrey Lonmouth, who was cruelly beaten to death by Criston Cole over a petty slight at Laenor and Rhaenyra’s wedding. In actuality, Jace, Luke, and Joff were all sired by Rhaenyra’s lover Ser Harwin Strong (He’s dead now too. Basically everyone is dead or soon-to-be-dead in this show).

Shortly after the death of Joffrey’s elder brother Luke and a brazen attempt on his mother’s life on Dragonstone, Rhaenyra decided to send him to stay with her mom’s side of the family in the Vale of Arryn for safe-keeping. Now that her eldest son Jacaerys is also dead, that appears to have been a shrewd decision as Joffrey is suddenly heir to the Iron Throne, ahead of his half-brothers Aegon and Viserys (both children Rhaenyra had with her uncle/husband Daemon) in the line of succession. With King’s Landing firmly-ish in her grasp, Rhaenyra sent Daemon off to the Vale to retrieve Joffrey and bring him back to the capital. Daemon returned well ahead of Joffrey because, though the little prince is bonded with his equally little dragon Tyraxes, the pair are probably too young for a solo flight to King’s Landing and had to hitch a ride on a boat or carriage.

Getting Joffrey from Dragonstone to the Vale and then to King’s Landing cannot have possibly been an easy logistical endeavor, especially during a time of war. So why then does Rhaenyra seem not particularly eager to talk to her son and heir? The answer to that is fairly simple: she’s terrified for him.