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The Kingsguard/Queensguard

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^{Click here} to see the Queensguard shield.

"The Kingsguard is a sworn brotherhood. Our vows are taken for life. Only death relieves us of our sacred trust."

— Ser Barristan Selmy

A sworn brotherhood of seven knights sworn to protect the King and the royal family. In the three centuries before the War of the Five Kings, the Seven Kingdoms never had a ruling female monarch. However, the succession of Cersei Lannister renamed the brotherhood as the "Queensguard."

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In General

Adapted Out:
- Potentially the case with Balon Swann and Osmund Kettleblack. The former results results from the fact that no Kingsguard is mentioned being killed in the Riots of King's Landing (Preston Greenfield in the books) - leading to Ser Balon being named as his replacement. The latter is mentioned as one of two replacements after the Battle of Blackwater, where Sandor Clegane deserted and Mandon Moore died (the other replacement is Loras Tyrell, a book element Adapted Out element in the series)... However, when meeting alone with Tywin, and during Sansa and Tyrion's wedding, Joffrey is guarded by four Kingsguard. Since Jaime is not yet in King's Landing, Ser Mandon is dead, the Hound deserted, Arys Oakheart is with Myrcella in Dorne, and Loras is not made a Kingsguard like in the books, this means that following the Battle of the Blackwater there are only three Kingsguard in the Red Keep (Ser Meryn, Ser Boros, and Ser Preston). Therefore, at some moment during his new Handship, Tywin seemingly appointed a new member of the Kinsguard as replacement for Ser Mandon or the Hound - a stand-in for either Ser Balon or Ser Osmund.
- In the Season 5 episode "Sons of the Harpy", the roster appears to have been filled - five Kingsguard are shown guarding Tommen when he goes to meet with the High Sparrow, with Jaime Lannister and Ser Meryn both out of King's Landing at this point in time. Two stand-ins for Balon and Osmund, as well as a returned Ser Arys, complete the group along with Ser Boros and Ser Preston.
Black Knight: During Season 7, their armor is now pitch-black with silver decoration.
Bodyguarding a Badass: In principle, their original role when they were founded by Aegon I and Queen Visenya. Even if the king is capable of defending himself, the risks of assassination within King's Landing and the dangers of the battlefield means he would still need backup and support. Over the centuries and with the varying level of competence of the rulers of the Seven Kingdoms, they have also evolved into something of a Praetorian Guard as well.
Costume Evolution: As a group instead of as an individual; whereas the Kingsguard of the books primarily wear white armor and cloaks, the show continuity tends to show them wearing armor reflective of the king they serve.
- The prequel House of the Dragon shows them wearing sigil-less but elaborately-wrought silver armor during the reigns of Jaehaerys I and Viserys I, indicative of the apex of the organization and the ruling house they serve. They kept it even during the breakout of the Dance of the Dragons.
- Bran's flashbacks show Kingsguard members wearing predominantly silver armor with the Targaryen dragon on the chest, befitting their old Knight in Shining Armor status.
- The modern Kingsguard under Robert wears gilded armor with a crown emblem (albeit with white cloaks—a nod to the books), perhaps as a sign of the influence of the Lannisters.
- Under Joffrey's rule (and particularly when he was betrothed to Margaery Tyrell), the Kingsguard armor becomes more flamboyantly golden—with the stylized crown now comprised of swords and intertwining branches—evoking both the Baratheon stag horns and the vines of the Tyrell flower.
- In Season 6, they change their armor again to depict the seven-pointed star of the Faith around a crown, once Tommen comes under the influence of the High Sparrow.
- Under Cersei's new regime, their armor is changed once again, becoming almost entirely pitch black.
- Finally, come the ascent of Bran Stark the Three-Eyed Raven to the Throne, the final Kingsguard under Brienne wears bronze segmented armor with a stylized three-eyed raven embossed on the chestplate. Curiously, it also evokes significant similarity to the armor she wore as Kingsguard to her previous fallen lord, Renly Baratheon.
Great Big Book of Everything: The Kingsguard have a Book of Brothers which contains a record of every member of the Kingsguard, with the number of pages signalling the list of deeds accomplished during their career and their manner of death. Ser Duncan the Tall has four pages worth of entries, Ser Arthur Dayne, "The Sword of the Morning" has several entries as well combating the Kingswood outlaws and Ser Jaime Lannister has...one paragraph telling everyone about the time he stabbed Aerys on the foot of the Iron Throne.
Elite Mook: In the current generation, most of the brotherhood is filled with glorified mooks, an opinion shared by Jaime Lannister, Sandor Clegane and Barristan Selmy.
Faceless Goons: The less important Kingsguard tend to keep their helmets on all the time.
Inadequate Inheritor: Jaime Lannister considers himself and the present Kingsguard roster to be unworthy of its (usually) noble lineage.
Jaime: When I joined the Kingsguard, I fought besides legends in the flesh. Their kind is dust now. And the men who have taken their place? Mud. Ser Boros Blount, the fat. Ser Meryn Trant, the forgettable. Sandor Clegane, the dog who tucked tail and ran. Like mud, their names soil the White Book.... almost as much as mine.
Knight in Shining Armor: The order used to be composed of Westeros' finest, but this chivalric ideal is thoroughly questioned. Even in the Kingsguard's past we got men like Criston Cole who betrayed his king's Dying Wish, the Cargyll twins who put family loyalty second and even Aemon the Dragonknight who died defending his brother-king who despised him.
My Master, Right or Wrong: They are supposed to serve the King regardless of how heinous or insane he or his orders are. This is why Jaime is despised for killing Mad Aerys even by the enemies of Mad Aerys.
Praetorian Guard: They answer only to the king as his sworn bodyguards for life.
Pragmatic Adaptation: Instead of the pure white, sigil-less armor of the books, the TV Kingsguard wear gold/bronze plate with white enameling. Also, their armors display a crown engraved in the chest. Also in that, in the books, there are many named Kingsguard bit characters, but, on the show, none of them, with the exception of Barristan Selmy, Jaime Lannister, and Meryn Trant, have any lines. In Season 4, characters like Arthur Dayne ("The Sword of the Morning") and Ser Duncan the Tall are referred to when Joffrey surveys the White Book of the Kingsguard.

Ser Jaime Lannister

Played By: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

See Ser Jaime Lannister.

Ser Barristan Selmy

Played By: Ian McElhinney

See Daenerys's Court.

Sandor Clegane

Played By: Rory McCann

See House Clegane.

Ser Meryn Trant

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/meryn_trant_8.png

"No one threatens His Grace in the presence of the Kingsguard!"

Played By: Ian Beattie

"I take my orders from the King!"

A knight of the Kingsguard under King Robert Baratheon and subsequently King Joffrey Baratheon. Meryn is a casually cruel man who takes great pride in obeying orders without hesitation, no matter how ridiculous. He is also quite proud of his status as a knight of the Kingsguard, though he has little regard for any of his vows other than those to obey and defend the King.

Adaptation Dye-Job: Red haired in the books, dark-haired here.
Adaptational Villainy: While Meryn is an unpleasant person in the books, his pedophilia is original to the show.
An Arm and a Leg: Threatens to cut off Bronn's hand in an altercation in Season 3.
"You put your hand on that door, you will lose the hand."
Arc Villain: For Arya's storyline in the last few episodes of Season 5.
Armor Is Useless: Averted, according to Sandor the reason why someone like him could have killed Syrio is precisely because of his gears. His armor is shown absorbing the hits of the wooden sword and he uses his own very real sword to break it.
Asshole Victim: An amoral Lannister goon, no one is going to miss him. In Season 6, people can be heard discussing his death and how he said he probably had it coming.
Beard of Evil: A scrubby goatee.
The Brute: Muscles for Joffrey and the Lannisters. After the Hound abandons Joffrey, he enjoys a tenure as The Dragon until Joffrey's death. Afterwards he's back to being The Brute, this time for Cersei.
Bullying a Dragon: Threatens Bronn as seen in An Arm and a Leg, even though Bronn is the more experienced fighter and both men know it.
Butt-Monkey: Gets shit on repeatedly by Tyrion, The Hound and Bronn. Not like he doesn't deserve it. Even Jaime Lannister in History and Lore calls him, 'The Forgettable'.
Composite Character:
- The scene in which he beats Sansa and rips her dress under Joffrey's orders is carried out by Boros Blount in the books.
- Meryn takes the place of Raff the Sweetling, a book character who was on Arya's murder list and accompanied a Small Council member to Braavos. Meryn also shares Raff's pedophilia and his fate.
Cruel and Unusual Death: He has both of his eyes cut out and is stabbed multiple times in the chest before having his throat slowly slit, all while Arya is taunting him.
Death by Adaptation: Arya kills Trant in the fifth season finale. As of the release of A Dance with Dragons, Trant is still alive.
Dirty Coward: He doesn't dare to speak when Tyrion tells Bronn to kill Meryn if he says another word. Later, his loyalty to Joffrey provides a convenient excuse to not leave the castle walls in order to save Sansa during a city riot, meaning Sandor Clegane has to step in. In Season 5 he's perfectly happy to beat little girls but he's reduced to a crying coward when Arya Stark stabs him in the eyes and cuts his throat.
The Dog Bites Back: Gets back at Tyrion during his trial by relating some of their run-ins. While Trant is being spiteful and stacking the context against Tyrion, Trant does not actually lie in his statement.
The Dragon: He's upgraded from The Brute to The Dragon after the Hound abandons Joffrey. With the death of Joffrey and Qyburn's ascent, Trant is back to being The Brute, this time for Cersei.
Dumb Muscle: He doesn't seem the brightest and tends to abuse Sansa without thinking ahead. Even the muscle part is debatable given he couldn't even push Arya off him when being the subject of her Extreme Mêlée Revenge.
Elite Mook: For a seasoned warrior he is a grunt, but being Kingsguard gives you a good armor and a sharp sword.
Evil Sounds Deep: His voice is one of his very few impressive qualities.
Evil Is Petty: To the point of being a fascinatingly pathetic man. What with the whole beating up little girls because he can't fight a real fight...
Eye Scream: Stabbed in both eyes before dying, courtesy of Arya.
The Friend Nobody Likes: Bronn, Tyrion and his Kingsguard colleagues aren’t particularly fond of him. Notably, Jaime Lannister in the narration and Sandor Clegane in Season 4 have mockingly ridiculed him for being incredibly incompetent.
Hate Sink: Trant has no sympathetic moments and every scene gives the viewers a reason to hate him, from beating and stripping Sansa, to leaving her to die because Joffrey didn't explicitly order him to help her, to being a pedophile. In short, he's the embodiment of what any knight, much less a Kingsguard, should not be.
Jerkass: He's an all-around piece of filth. On top of following even Joffrey's cruelest orders without a second thought, Trant also comes across as an unpleasant, high-and-mighty asshole, even to his boss Jaime noting his absence. He also reveals a taste for very young girls and likes to beat them with sticks.
Jerkass Has a Point: With the benefit of hindsight, Meryn's warning that Cersei courting the High Sparrow's influence was a bad idea proved right.
Just Following Orders: His usual excuse for doing something cruel, like beating Sansa in front of the Royal Court or leaving her to be raped and/or murdered in the riot.
Karmic Death: In addition to being killed by a teenage girl while performing pedophilic actions, said girl is the sister of another girl he once beat.
Malicious Misnaming: Courtesy of Bronn:
Bronn: Ah! Look at these two shining warriors! Ser Taryn Mant and... Ser Whosit of Whocares.
Mook Lieutenant: He leads the Goldcloaks after Slynt is sent to the wall but he himself is little more than a glorified bodyguard who's not even very good at that.
My Master, Right or Wrong: Brutal as they are, he doesn't question the orders of King Joffrey I.
The Oathbreaker: Kingsguard are supposed to be celibate, but Trant is shown at a brothel, with pedophilic interests.
Obviously Evil: He's got the classic cartoon villain look: Black, arched eyebrows, a Beard of Evil and a permanently cold, grim expression.
Perpetual Frowner: He always looks slightly pissed off, even when he's actually turned on at the moment.
Politically Incorrect Villain: Disparages Renly offhand as a 'boyfucker'. Ironic, considering what we learn about him in Season 5.
Praetorian Guard: For Joffrey, not a very good one though.
Replacement Goldfish: For the Hound as Joffrey's The Brute and close confidant, especially after the Hound defects. Even before that, he takes up the Hound's more brutish traits from the books.
Riddle for the Ages: How somebody as incompetent and cowardly as Trant got on the Kingsguard is anyone’s guess. He takes this trope from the books’ version of Boros Blount.
Right for the Wrong Reasons: He may be a cowardly, thuggish, pedophile, but he's right that the Tyrells are treasonous for having supported Renly. But it's not Joffrey who is the rightful king, Stannis was the rightful heir according to the line of succession.
The Rival: To Bronn, who is viewed (and takes it as a compliment) as an upjumped cutthroat by Meryn. They seem eager to kill each other at the first opportunity.
Sadist: Uses his position as Kingsguard to abuse his power and hurt weak children as opposed to saving them. It's actually part of his fetish to beat little girls.
Slashed Throat: After mutilating him, Arya finishes him off by slowly slashing his throat.
Surrounded by Idiots: Says so when Syrio Forel knocks out all his men with a wooden sword.
Tears of Fear: Or tears of extreme pain when Arya Stark is slowly stabbing him to death.
Undying Loyalty: According to Ian Beatie's comments, if Meryn Trant would have one meaningful redeeming quality, blind loyalty to Cersei would be it.
Would Hit a Girl: If the King orders him to do it... but the Season 5 finale reveals that he actually gets kicks out of doing so.
Tyrion: What kind of knight beats a helpless girl?!
Meryn Trant: The kind that serves his King, Imp!
Bronn: You're a grub in fancy armor who's better at beating little girls than fighting men.
Would Hurt a Child: He beats and punches Sansa on Joffrey's orders and shown beating little girls in Braavos with a switch.

Ser Mandon Moore

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mandon_moore_2.png

"The lads caught a groom and two maids trying to sneak away with a stolen horse and some gold cups."

Played By: James Doran

Another member of the Kingsguard. Killed by Podrick Payne at the Battle of the Blackwater after attempting to kill Tyrion Lannister.

Adaptational Wimp: In the books he's considered a badass by Jaime Lannister. Here those traits are not addressed in the show.
Alliterative Name: Mandon Moore.
Ascended Extra: In the books, he is not present when Cersei reveals to Tyrion that she has the woman she believes to be his lover under arrest. Nor is he the one that, prior to the Battle of the Blackwater, informs Cersei that a groom and two maids attempted to flee the Red Keep with a horse and gold. These actions are carried out by the Kettleblack brothers.
Bodyguard Betrayal: Pulls one on Tyrion during the Battle of the Blackwater.
Demoted to Extra: Never mentioned in the first season. Also, his exchange with Tyrion when the latter arrives to a small council meeting to introduce himself as Hand of the King was cut.
Dies Differently in Adaptation: In the books he is pushed into the Blackwater Bay and drowned. Here, Podrick spears him through the back of the head.
The Dragon: To Queen Cersei. At least that's what Varys says.
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: When he betrays Tyrion, Podrick saves him at the last second by driving a lance through Mandon's head.
Remember the New Guy?: He turns up as if he's always been around. It isn't very jarring due to the sheer number of Kingsguard.

Ser Boros Blount

Played By: N/A

Another member of the Kingsguard.

Alliterative Name: Boros Blount.
Demoted to Extra: In the books, it is Ser Boros and not Ser Meryn who beats Sansa and rips her dress in court after Joffrey learns of Robb's victory in the Battle of Oxcross. The storyline involving Tommen that leads to Boros getting kicked out of the Kingsguard for cowardice is cut, so he's present during the Battle of the Blackwater along with Tyrion and Ser Mandon, replacing Ser Balon Swann, who has been mentioned but not yet seen in the series.
Mook Lieutenant: Within the Kingsguard. The only difference between him and the Kingsguard redshirts is that he has a name.
Remember the New Guy?: He turns up as if he's always been around. It isn't very jarring due to the sheer number of Kingsguard.

Ser Arys Oakheart

Played By: N/A

Another member of the Kingsguard.

All There in the Manual: His name.
The Bus Came Back: Unlike in the novels where he stays in Dorne as Myrcella's sworn shield, he seems to have returned to King's Landing at some point — unless he suffered a Bus Crash, he's one of the five Kingsguard (barring then-absent Jaime and Meryn) who is shown defending Tommen in a Season 5 episode.
Demoted to Extra: To the point that he hasn't even been named in the show. The only moment we know for certain it's him is when he accompanies Myrcella on her journey to Dorne.
Put on a Bus: In-universe, he's sent to Dorne as Myrcella's sworn shield.
Spared by the Adaptation: He's completely uninvolved in the plan to kidnap Myrcella, so he's spared his death during that subplot in the books.

Ser Preston Greenfield

Played By: N/A

Another member of the Kingsguard.

Demoted to Extra: To the point that he's first mentioned by name in Season 4.
Spared by the Adaptation: In the books, he's killed during the King's Landing riots. In the show, no Kingsguard is shown or mentioned being killed by the mob. His continuous survival is confirmed in Season 4, with Jaime mentioning Ser Preston by name.

Ser Balon Swann

Played By: N/A

Another member of the Kingsguard, brought in at some point after the Battle of Blackwater.

All There in the Manual: Although he is mentioned by name (unlike Ser Arys) it is in a separate context to the Kingsguard so a casual viewer might be unaware that he is a new member brought in. Even then, it's unconfirmed if it is Ser Balon who has joined post-Season 2.

Ser Gregor Clegane

See House Clegane

Ser Brienne of Tarth

See Stark Household

Ser Podrick Payne

See Stark Household

Historical Kingsguard

Ser Arthur Dayne

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/arthur_dayne.png

"I wish you good fortune in the wars to come."

Played By: Luke Roberts

Ser Arthur Dayne was a member of Aerys II Targaryen's Kingsguard, who bore the legendary title of "Sword of the Morning". He was ordered by Prince Rhaegar to guard Lyanna Stark in the Tower of Joy along with another Kingsguard brother. He was killed in a fight against Eddard Stark's companions.

The Ace: Dayne was a legend during his lifetime, one that Jaime Lannister looked up to. When we finally see the flashback involving him, you see that his reputation was well-earned.
Adaptational Badass: Possibly, we don't know the full details of the tower of joy battle in the books, but there, Dayne had two other members of the Kingsguard fighting with him against Ned Stark and his five companions. Here, he fights with just one other Kingsguard, who is killed early on by Ned, which means that Dayne fights the other four opponents by himself, and ALMOST WINS.
Always Someone Better: Ned Stark was considered by Ser Barristan to be a great swordsman, a man who fought Ser Jaime Lannister as an equal in Season 1, but Ser Arthur thoroughly outclassed him. This is one reason why Bran finds the duel surprising since he had heard his father was a great swordsman and is amazed to see that Ned didn't win cleanly.
Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: He has shades of this, Dual Wielding and twirling his swords during the fight. That said Ser Arthur's skills more than match his bravado, so it's as much well earned confidence as it is arrogance.
Awesome, but Impractical: The Sword of the Morning's choice to dual wield swords against multiple opponents would have many drawbacks. However this just serves to showcase his incredible sword skills when he easily overcomes those shortcomings.
Doomed by Canon: As Bran witnesses the fight, he already knows his lord father survives and Ser Arthur dies, yet becomes confused as Dayne is clearly a better swordsman than Ned. Cue the unexpected save from Howland Reed who had gone down seconds into the fight with a gut wound, which catches Bran off guard. ^{From the Books...}
Bran Stark: He's better than my father.
Three-eyed Raven: Far better.
Dragon Their Feet: Dayne and Hightower are the last two Kingsguard loyal to King Aerys Targaryen and their final confrontation with Ned Stark and his men is the last battle of the war.
Dual Wielding: Unlike his book counterpart who only wielded the greatsword Dawn, in the show he wielded Dawn alongside a standard longsword. According to the director of the episode, this wasn't just for the sake of Rule of Cool, but to emphasized Arthur is a Master Swordsman. In real life (and contrary to what most fantasy settings depict), dual-wielding is Awesome, but Impractical: it takes a lot of skill to be ambidextrous with two swords and be able to use them in combat efficiently, it would be especially difficult with longswords due to their weight and length, and it wouldn't provide you much of an advantage beyond the psychological. However, the books had lots of time for other characters (like Ned, Jaime, or Barristan) to reflect on Arthur's skill in narration in order to build up his reputation, which the show did not have, so they needed to show Arthur's prowess another way that couldn't be done if he was wielding just one sword. In short, dual-wielding is very difficult and impractical, and the fact that Arthur is very good at it and manages to almost win a four-on-one melee is a demonstration of just how skilled a swordsman he is.
Early-Bird Cameo: Ser Arthur Dayne was first mentioned by name in Season 4, when King Joffrey perused the White Book of the Kingsguard. A Freeze-Frame Bonus of the pages described the Tower of Joy battle.
Face Death with Dignity: After he's stabbed by Howland and drops his swords, he looks expectantly at Ned who delivers his wordless request for a Coup de Grâce.
Hoist by His Own Petard: His throat is slit with his own sword.
Honor Before Reason: The king he served is dead, the Prince who ordered him to guard this tower has also fallen but he chooses to go out fighting despite the option to simply step aside, honoring Rhaegar's orders until his last breath.
In the Back: He was stabbed in the neck from behind by Howland Reed.
Irony: One of the greatest Knights in Westerosi history dies doing the least knightly of tasks, holding a girl hostage and attacking her brother who had come to rescue her.
- In actuality, he was protecting the newborn Jon Snow. Ned Stark was close friends with Robert Baratheon, who would have demanded his death. One can only imagine what would have happened if Arthur Dayne assumed Ned was out there not for blood, but purely out of his concern for his sister, and told him what was actually happening.
The Last Dance: Ser Arthur's tone before his final fight is clearly that of a man entering what he believes is his Last Stand. Though he comes awfully close to overcoming the odds in front of him.
Long-Dead Badass: He died long before the event of the series but is seen through a flashback vision by Bran Stark, and was probably a better fighter than even Jaime.
Master Swordsman: In a series filled with great swordsmen past and present, Ser Arthur is revered as one of the greatest who ever lived. This is no better exemplified in his choice to dual-wield swords against multiple opponents, which would take a ridiculous amount of skill to do effectively. He more than proves his mettle by killing most of Ned's companions by himself and putting Ned on the defensive during their duel.
My Master, Right or Wrong: He fully supports the Mad King and Prince Rhaegar and willingly stands guard to hold Lyanna hostage, intending to kill her brother and preventing her rescue.
- It was revealed that he had good reason to. Rhaegar's two other children, along with his wife, had been brutally murdered by the rebel forces fighting for Robert Baratheon, who would approve the three murders. Rhaegar's third child by Lyanna, Aegon Targaryen (known as Jon Snow), was also a threat to Robert's rule. Dayne had every reason to believe that Ned and his men would tell Robert about Aegon, and Robert would have the boy killed. Even though Ned was Lyanna's brother, he was also Robert's second-in-command and they could not take the risk.
Near-Villain Victory: Came close to decimating Ned and Howland Reed, this after the two of them and their friends survived all the wars and battles of Robert's Rebellion and came inches to achieving their original goal of saving Lyanna.
Noble Top Enforcer: Though Rhaegar is kind of ambiguous in his villainy, Arthur doesn't seem to take any pleasure in fighting Ned to stop him from rescuing his sister as the profile picture shows and while less chivalrous than his book counterpart he does greet his opponent and wait that everyone is on guard before attacking.
One-Man Army: Even after his companion had fallen, he managed to fight four opponents at once, killing three and almost killing Ned and Howland. The only reason Howland gets the jump on him is that Ser Arthur struck him down first, likely believing him dead or dying.
Poor Communication Kills: The swordfight at the Tower of Joy, as awesome as it is to watch, could've easily been unnecessary if both parties had been open about their intentions (Ned just wants his sister back, Dayne reasonably believes that Ned is here to kill the newborn Targaryen prince). Alas, the Kingsguard is bound to keep the king's secrets, and he refuses to entertain any more of the Northern party's questioning.
Post-Final Boss: Of Robert's Rebellion, compared with Rhaegar Targaryen and Aerys II. He was the last Targaryen loyalist still fighting, defiantly, even after the war was over and he took three men with him before his death. Ned even mentions his King and Prince are already dead.
Slashed Throat: Meets his end when he is stabbed in the neck by Howland Reed and his throat slit by Ned.
Taking You with Me: His final stand has him slay three of Ned's party before finally falling.
They Call Him "Sword": The title "Sword of the Morning" is granted by House Dayne only to its greatest living warrior.
Undignified Death: Much to Ned and Bran's disgust, the greatest swordsman alive is killed on his knees after being dishonorably stabbed in the back.
Undying Loyalty: Guards the Tower of Joy to his last breath, long after Rhaegar has died and nothing is stopping him from leaving.
Worthy Opponent: Ned is visibly upset when he sees Ser Arthur stabbed in the neck and for the rest of his life told Bran that he considered Ser Arthur the greatest swordsman he had seen.
You Shall Not Pass!: He is guarding The Tower of Joy from all intruders.

Ser Gerold Hightower

Gerold Hightower "The White Bull"

Played By: Eddie Eyre

"Your friend The Usurper would be in the ground if we had been (at the Trident). "

Gerold Hightower is Lord Commander of the Kingsguard. He died at the Tower of Joy.

Composite Character: Has Gerold's name by Word of God, but has Oswell Whent's dialogue.
Dragon Their Feet: Like Dayne, they are the last two loyal Kingsguard and their final confrontation with Ned Stark and his men is the closing action of the war.
Generation Xerox: To an extent: Gerold was one of the best knights of his entire generation, and Loras Tyrell - one of the best knights of a later generation - is actually related to him. Ser Gerold was the uncle of Leyton Hightower, who was himself Loras's maternal grandfather.
Honor Before Reason: He honors the final order given to him by Rhaegar and when Ned points out the prince is dead, his only response is to say Rhaegar would still be alive had he been fighting by his prince's side.
Impromptu Tracheotomy: How Ned kills him.
Taking You with Me: He slays one of Ned's party before falling to the young Lord Stark's blade shortly afterwards.
We Hardly Knew Ye: Gets the one line before getting killed.
You Shall Not Pass!: Lord Commander Gerold refuses to stand aside for Eddard Stark, instead chooses to fight to the death.

Ser Gwayne Corbray

Kingsguard who won renown during the Blackfyre rebellion.

David Versus Goliath: How his duel with Daemon Blackfyre is remembered. Gwayne stood toe to toe with the greatest swordsman of his generation despite being wounded and outclassed. Daemon admired his skill so much that he had his personal maester attend to him.
Master Swordsman: Wielded the Corbray family sword Lady Forlorn.

Prince Aemon Targaryen

Aemon Targaryen "The Dragonknight"

Brother and sworn sword to his brother King Aegon IV. Arguably the greatest knight who ever lived.

Badass in Distress: His cousin King Baelor rescued him in Dorne.
My Master, Right or Wrong: Died defending the king who hated him.

Ser Criston Cole

Criston Cole, "The Kingmaker"

Kingsguard to King Viserys I. He is given the epithet "Kingmaker" for his involvement in the coup that crowned Aegon II, which kickstarted the Dance of the Dragons.

For the series-continuity version of this character, see his entry in "House of the Dragon - Greens".

Characters / Game of Thrones - The Kingsguard

See also the book character sheet for these characters.

The Kingsguard/Queensguard