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Emilia Clarke has been made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)!
The actor, most notably known for her role as Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones, was recognised for her services to people with brain injuries. Her mum Jenny was honoured during the ceremony at Windsor Castle too, after the pair set up their nonprofit SameYou. The organisation aims to provide support for brain injury survivors after they leave hospital as well as lead vital research that wouldn’t otherwise be funded.
Emilia experienced two life-threatening brain haemorrhages herself while filming Game of Thrones. She first opened up about her experience in 2019, in an essay for The New Yorker, recalling the moment she became violently ill after exercising:
“I immediately felt as though an elastic band was squeezing my brain. I tried to ignore the pain and push through it, but I just couldn’t.”
She was rushed to hospital in an ambulance, where she was diagnosed with a subarachnoid haemorrhage – a type of stroke which can kill one in three patients.
Speaking to BBC’s Sunday Morning Program in 2022, Emilia discussed how she’s doing, almost a decade on:
“It’s remarkable that I’m able to speak, sometimes articulately, and live my life completely normally without absolutely no repercussions. I am in that really, really, really small minority of people that can survive that.”
During the interview, Emilia explains how starring as Daenerys Targaryen on Game of Thrones while she was recovering from her aneurysms in 2011 and 2013 gave her “purpose” during a difficult time.
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Emilia and Jenny's ceremony was led by Prince William. MBE honours are usually awarded by the King, Prince of Wales or Princess Royal.
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