House of the Dragon Season 2: Who is Alyrie Florent?

Alicent makes sure to light a candle for Alyrie Florent in House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 1, but who is she? Here’s what you need to know.

House of the Dragon Season 2 kicks off with plenty of important moments. But one emotional crux of Season 2 Episode 1 comes when Rhaenyra is finally able to hold a funeral for Lucerys, all while Alicent Hightower goes to Great Sept of Baelor and lights candles in honor of three people.

One of those names is Alyrie Florent, and it’s not someone everyone would be familiar with. But it’s clearly meaningful to Alicent, who says her name before all others.

Here’s what you need to know about Alyrie Florent, including who she is, and why she’s important to Alicent in House of the Dragon.

Who is Alyrie Florent?

There’s little mention of Alyrie Florent anywhere, but it seems as though she was Alicent Hightower’s mother, who died before the show takes place.

In House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 1, Alicent says her name when she’s lighting candles for the dead, alongside Viserys Targaryen and (perhaps controversially) Lucerys Velaryon.

Fan sites say that she is Alicent’s and Gwayne’s mother, and the wife of Otto Hightower. Since there’s no supporting information in the books, there’s few others she could be. From an emotional standpoint, it would make sense for Alicent to light a candle for her deceased mother in these trying times.

However, the TV show also spells her name out as Alyrie in the captions, when most other sources spell it as Alerie.

Throughout the show, the characters refer to Alyrie, but not by name. In Season 1, Daemon insults Otto by reminding him that his wife has recently passed away, and offers to share his own (a moment you can watch in the clip below).

When Otto is later discussing marriage prospects with King Viserys, he reveals that he doesn’t envy the king in being forced to remarry after losing his own wife.

On one occasion, he even says that Alicent resembles Alyrie.

Though there’s no information in the books regarding Alicent’s mother, the actress who played younger Alicent in Season 1, Emily Carey, revealed on the House of the Dragon podcast that she was able to create her own backstory.

“We had this whole thing about where is Alicent’s mom,” she said. “Who is she? Who was she? Where did she go? It’s not written in the book. It’s not written in the script. So I mentioned this at the Comic Con, I journaled as my character just to get some more in-depth insight.

“And one thing I got to write about was what happened to her mother. And something that we settled on as a group, group being Miguel, Ryan, Rhys, and I, was that her mother was the religious one. That faith is something Alicent carries because of this connection with her mother. Which is why I think that scene is so important and so heavy to show that side of Alicent that I feel like people aren’t expecting to see.”

As such, the connection between Alicent’s religious mother and Alicent later lighting candles for the dead before praying becomes clearer.

Episode 1 is now available to stream on HBO in the US and on NOW in the UK.

For more, check out our full House of the Dragon Season 2 review. You can also take a look at our House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 2 recap, and find out which Stark is in Episode 1. Or, take a look at all the other great new TV shows to stream this month.

For more explainers, check out our guides to Alyn of Hull, Hugh Hammer, and Blood and Cheese.