Emilia Clarke, perhaps best known for her role as Daenerys Targaryen on Game of Thrones, was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire by Prince William during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle today.
Emilia was given the award alongside her mom, Jennifer Clarke, for their work co-founding SameYou, a brain injury recover charity. They are the first mother-daughter duo to be honored with the same award in the same honors list, according to the BBC. "The most important thing is that my mum got it," Emilia said. "The fact that it's us together is very sweet and lovely, but the reason why the charity really exists is because of all the work that my mum does."
"I can say for both of us that the MBE is for the cause and the charity, and for that it's wicked. For that it's amazing," Emilia told BBC News after the New Years Honours list was announced. "And who doesn't want to go to the palace? I've asked if I can take my dog, but apparently you can't."
The Clarkes founded SameYou Emilia suffered two brain hemorrhages in 2011 and 2013. As Jenny explains, "We realized that very few people had access to long enough rehabilitation or early enough rehabilitation. You are expected to get better after a certain period, and that, sadly, is not the reality for the majority of people. Even if you have a very mild brain injury, it's a really major trauma."
Getting the MBE, Jenny said, is a "great honour that we've both been awarded, I don't see it at all for us, because we're just starting off on this journey to try and raise awareness, but [it is for] the tens of thousands of people that have written to us and the millions of people around the world that don't have a voice."
For the investiture at Windsor Castle overseen by Prince William, the Clarkes coordinated in ivory outfits; Emilia wore a Chanel outfit from their Spring 2020 collection.
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.
