Emilia Clarke may not have gotten the Iron Throne, but Prince William is giving her a prize of her own.
William, 41, presented the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) medals to Emilia, 37, and her mother, Jennifer Clarke, at Windsor Castle on Wednesday, February 21. The mother-daughter duo was awarded the prize for the aid they provide to people with brain injuries via their organization SameYou, which helps brain injury survivors get better mental health treatment.
“From Westeros to Windsor, a real pleasure presenting @emilia_clarke and her mom Jennifer with their honors today for their charity work with @sameyouorg supporting brain injury recovery care 🎖️,” the Prince and Princess of Wales wrote via Instagram alongside a video from the ceremony. “Congratulations to all of today’s recipients!”
In the clip, Jennifer shared it was “such an honor” while Emilia gushed about getting recognized for a cause near and dear to their hearts.
“To have an award like this … cherry on the cake,” the Game of Thrones alum said. “I’m going to get my photo taken because of this award. And people are going to say, ‘Why is this person, who we recognize, got this award?’ And we’re going to say, ‘It’s for brain injury recovery.'”
Last month, Emilia and Jennifer reacted to learning that they were selected as some of the recipients of the prestigious honor.
“Still so flabbergasted and amazed that mum and I have been given the incredible honor of MBE’s….!,” Emilia wrote via Instagram in January. “But all of this glamor and excitement is the stuff of pictures, this MBE is really for everyone who has and still is suffering from a brain injury.”
Emilia and her mom decided to start SameYou in 2019. At the time of the nonprofit’s founding, the actress revealed she was inspired to start the organization after she survived two brain hemorrhages while working on Game of Thrones.
During an interview with The New Yorker, Emilia recalled feeling ill during a workout session and was later diagnosed with a subarachnoid hemorrhage, which is a life-threatening type of stroke, caused by bleeding into the space surrounding the brain. She underwent emergency brain surgery.
While the procedure was successful it also caused many side effects including memory loss and aphasia. After Emilia recovered from the first hemorrhage, a doctor discovered another aneurysm, which required more invasive surgery.
After disclosing her near-fatal experience, Emilia shared that she felt compelled to share her story so she could help others in a similar position.
“I knew that I had to tell this story because I wanted people who are suffering from it to know that this is also what brain injury looks like, and that you can do it,” she told Extra in April 2019. “I wanted people to not feel alone if they did. I knew it was my duty, but it’s hard.”
William has appeared solo at a majority of royal events the past month, as his father, King Charles III, and wife, Princess Kate Middleton, are facing their own respective health battles. Kate, 42, is still on the mend from her planned abdominal surgery that took place in January. That same month, Charles, 75, underwent prostate surgery to treat an enlarged prostate. The monarch later revealed that he has been diagnosed with “a form of cancer.”
While attending the BAFTAs on Sunday February 18, William apologized for Kate’s absence from the ceremony. “I’m sorry Catherine’s not here,” he told Elaine Bedell, chief executive of the Southbank Center, at the awards show while adding that he and his wife always watched the nominated films together. “She does love the BAFTAs.”
