How Old Are Rhaenyra and Daemon? What Is Their Age Difference?

We all know that Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and Prince Daemon Targaryen have now tied the knot and are now married to one another, especially after that big twist at the end of episode 7 of House of the Dragon. But we also know that Rhaenyra was still quite young when we first saw her in the same scene as her Uncle Daemon. That means that there is a huge age gap between them. So, how old are Rhaenyra and Daemon, and what is their age difference?

Rhaenyra is most probably around 28 to 29 years old at the end of episode 7. Meanwhile, Daemon Targaryen, who was around 31 when he was first introduced, is most likely 44 to 45 years old at the end of episode 7. In the book, there are around 16 years between Rhaenyra and Daemon.

The ages of the different characters in House of the Dragon aren’t always talked about, but all we know is that there is a huge age gap between Rhaenyra and Daemon, as the latter is merely four years younger than the former’s father. But age has never been a big issue in relation to marriages between different characters in Westeros. Now, let’s talk more about the ages of Rhaenyra and Daemon.

How Old Is Rhaenyra In House Of The Dragon?

When House of the Dragon started, we got to meet a young Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen because it was important for the series to establish the events that happened during the younger years of the characters so that we would understand how things eventually escalated in the years before the Dance of the Dragons broke out. But how old was Rhaenyra back then?

During her introduction, Rhaenyra was most likely around 15 to 16 years old. In episode 2, which was six months after the first episode, it was revealed by her father that she was already 16 years old. There are numerous time skips in between episodes, but she was right around 17 to 18 in episode 3. Then, by the time episode 5 ended, Rhaenyra was probably around 18 already.

Of course, there is a massive time skip of ten years between episodes 5 and 6, as we got to meet Rhaenyra’s children during their childhood days. At that time, Rhaenyra was most likely around 28 to 29 years old, as suggested by the possibility that she was around 18 when episode 5 ended. This puts her at an age that is actually just right for mothers during the medieval-like times of House of the Dragon.

There are also more time skips between the episodes, as it is possible for us to see another big jump in time from episodes 7 and 8, as suggested by the fact that the children are now older in the episode 8 preview. It is possible that the time skip is somewhere around 5 or 6 years. As such, during the time that the Dance of the Dragons breaks out, Rhaenyra should be around her early 30s or somewhere around 33 to 34 years old.

How Old Is Daemon In House Of The Dragon?

Prince Daemon Targaryen was introduced as the rogue prince of House Targaryen as he loved doing things his own way, which can be quite cruel and merciless. Nevertheless, he has always been an antihero character from the moment he was introduced, and this was seen in the fact that he was sitting on the Iron Throne when we first saw him in the series. Of course, the one who greeted him back then was a young Rhaenyra, who welcomed her uncle into King’s Landing.

Considering that Daemon is Rhaenyra’s uncle, he is actually quite older than her. Nevertheless, while we did have clues about the ages of the different young characters in the series, such as Rhaenyra, Alicent, and Laena, we can’t say the same about the older ones like Daemon because their ages were never revealed or ever mentioned.

As such, we are going to use Daemon’s book age to figure out how old he might be in the series. We don’t know for certain when the series takes place in terms of its year, but Daemon was born on 81 AC and is around four years younger than his brother, King Viserys. As mentioned, we don’t know what year the series began, but the fact that Rhaenyra is around 15 or 16 in episode 1 suggests that the series first takes place around 113 AC. That means that Daemon is right around 31 to 32 at that time.

Of course, due to the many different time skips that happened in the series, it is tough to really tell Daemon’s age. We can say that he is probably around 33 or 34 at the end of episode 5 as we headed into the massive ten-year time skip between episodes 5 and 6. He did marry Laena Velaryon, who was probably around 16 years old at that time.

Ten years later, Daemon was around 43 or 44, while his wife, Laena, was around 26. Of course, there is probably another big time skip between episodes 7 and 8, as there will probably be around 5 or 6 years between them. That means that Daemon could be right around 48 to 49 by the time the Dance of the Dragons breaks out. 

This puts Daemon’s age right around his book age when he died during the Battle Above the Gods Eye against Aemond Targaryen. Even though he was no longer in his prime during his death, he was still able to give his nephew a tough fight at the age of 49.

What Is The Age Difference Between Rhaenyra And Daemon?

We already knew the fact that Rhaenyra and Daemon have a huge age gap between them, as the latter is the former’s uncle, after all. Of course, incest is quite normal within the Targaryen family because the Valyrians try to keep their bloodline pure. As such, no one actually batted an eye when Rhaenyra and Daemon obviously desired each other.

When Rhaenyra was still younger, her desire for her uncle was quite obvious. But the thing was that she was still a child back then, as that Daemon actually said that in episode 7 when Rhaenyra asked him why he left her all alone all those years ago. But because Rhaenyra was no longer a child during the events of episode 7, Daemon was more than willing to take her already.

Rhaenyra and Daemon not only slept together but actually got married at the end of episode 7 and after they worked to fake Laenor’s death. At that time, there were around 16 years between the two characters, as Rhaenyra was around 28 to 29 while Daemon was around 44. 

But while the age gap between them might be big, this is quite normal in the world that George RR Martin created, as older men often had younger women as wives due to the different political maneuverings involved between one lord and another. But in the case of Rhaenyra and Daemon, this was consensual and also normal as well, especially among the Targaryens that often married within the family.