Emilia Clarke marked her 40th birthday on 23 October 2026 with a private party in London that brought together several of her Game of Thrones co-stars for the first major cast reunion in years.
The actress, born Emilia Isobel Euphemia Rose Clarke on 23 October 1986 in London, shared a series of black-and-white photographs from the evening on Instagram the following day. She captioned the post “This Is 40 Baby.” The images show dancing, group poses and a lively atmosphere among friends rather than any intimate couple shots.
Among those present were Kit Harington, who played Jon Snow opposite Clarke’s Daenerys Targaryen; Nathalie Emmanuel (Missandei); Alfie Allen (Theon Greyjoy); Jacob Anderson (Grey Worm); and Indira Varma (Ellaria Sand). Other guests included actress Sharon Horgan, Sam Reid, Sheila Atim and rapper Stormzy.
Clarke wore a custom Erdem mini-dress with a full skirt. Photos released by the actress capture the group moving energetically on the dance floor and posing together in a private London setting. The gathering came seven years after the Game of Thrones series finale aired in 2019.
Kit Harington, born Christopher Catesby Harington on 26 December 1986 in London, has maintained a long-standing friendship with Clarke since they began working together on the HBO series in 2011. Harington married actress Rose Leslie in 2018. The couple have two children and live primarily in Suffolk. No public statements from Harington or Clarke have suggested any romantic involvement between the two co-stars.
Some international reports described additional party details, including semi-nude male waiters serving drinks and cigarettes and decorative buckets containing confetti and condoms. Mainstream English-language coverage has focused on the nostalgic cast reunion and the festive tone of the photographs Clarke chose to share.
In the days after the party, an X account posted two mirror-selfie images purporting to show Harington embracing a woman with full white braided hair styled like Daenerys. One image showed the woman sticking out her tongue; the other depicted a kiss. The post claimed the pair were “having a great time together” and attributed a quote to Harington about the tongue pose.
Those images do not match any of the black-and-white photographs Clarke posted from the birthday celebration. The setting, lighting, hair styling and intimate framing differ markedly from the verified party pictures. No independent reporting or official social media posts have corroborated the quote or the existence of the selfies. Observers have described the images as AI-generated or heavily edited fan content that used the real cast reunion as a backdrop.
Clarke has previously spoken about the close, platonic bonds formed among the Game of Thrones cast during the show’s long production. Harington has similarly described the group as longtime friends. The 23 October party appears to have been a continuation of those relationships rather than the start of any new personal chapter between the two lead actors.
