Gayle added that, in her view, viewers were seeing Aemond and Alys consummating their relationship for the first time.

“We’re seeing it happen in front of our eyes, which is… thank you HBO for, like, allowing us the privilege,” she quipped. “Yeah, but it’s early days of that endeavour, so it’s like vulnerable still, I think for them.”

Earlier in the season, Olivia admitted that shooting a lingering kiss between herself and her on-screen son – who is, in fact, only three years her junior – made for an “odd” experience.

“It’s kind of shocking,” Ewan agreed. “But then also, I just recognised a tremendous challenge and an opportunity to show Aemond in a new light.”

“It’s quite a difficult pill to swallow, isn’t it? Kissing your mum on the lips, especially in that way,” he continued. “I mean, Aemond, growing up, he never felt like he was loved enough by his mum and his family around him, and a kid needs that unconditional love to develop a balanced view of themselves.

“And Aemond, because he never had that, he’s got a very skewed perception and a very strange way of showing love.”

House Of The Dragon continues on Mondays on HBO Max, Sky and Now in the UK.