House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 3
House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 3 Ollie Upton/HBO

The third episode of House of the Dragon Season 3 finally put Daeron Targaryen on the board – only for viewers to discover that the silver‑haired 'prince' paraded before Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) was an imposter (Charlie Gordon), hand‑picked by Ormund Hightower (James Norton).

So where is Alicent Hightower's (Olivia Cooke) real youngest son? And could Ormund's quiet switch with another young noble become a problem for Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) as she tries to hold the Seven Kingdoms together?

Daemon Captures The Wrong Prince

The episode 'Rhaenyra Triumphant' wastes little time, sending the King Regent to confront Ormund and demand his surrender. Daemon also seizes Daeron, who has been Ormund's ward since the young prince was sent to Oldtown.

The capture of 'Daeron' is immediately unusual, since the boy refuses to speak to anyone and the Queen remarks that he appears to be much younger than expected. That changes when Rhaenyra brings Alicent to him for a reunion.

Rhaenyra quickly realises that the child is not Daeron at all but a young noble coerced into pretending to be the prince.

So what happened to the real Daeron Targaryen? Ormund clearly refuses to be parted from his ward and has arranged for the young Targaryen to be hidden in plain sight.

There is already speculation that Daeron is actually Ormund's squire (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth), who appeared in Season 3's premiere episode.

Like the pretender, who was forced to bleach his hair to play the part, Daeron may have changed his hair colour to avoid being recognised by his enemies.

Moreover, Ainsworth was previously confirmed to play Daeron in the third season of the series.

Ormund's trick may be motivated by his desire to keep his squire safe, but it also means that his army can continue to control Tessarion and move against Rhaenyra's allies, including the quiet town of Tumbleton. In George R.R. Martin's book Fire and Blood, Daeron plays a major role in the sack of Tumbleton, and it appears that the HBO show could adapt his story as well.

Clues To The Daeron Imposter's True Identity

For now, Team Green supporters can be confident they still have Daeron on their side, but who is the boy forced to stand in as the prince? Although his exchange with Rhaenyra is brief, he seems to offer some clues.

When Rhaenyra watches him as he sleeps, she discovers that he has been carving a bird out of wood. The pretender also confirms that his mother is a lady, suggesting he is a child from one of Westeros' noble houses.

He then states that they are merchants, which hints at the possibility that he is from House Arryn of Gulltown, a cadet branch of the noble house that married into merchants during King Jaehaerys I Targaryen's reign.

At this point, the fate of the still‑unnamed imposter is unknown. However, fans of the HBO series can expect to see more of the real Daeron Targaryen and his dragon Tessarion in future episodes of House of the Dragon Season 3.

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