In Game of Thrones, Rose Leslie and Kit Harington shared a story written for the screen. In 2011, while filming the second season, their own story began too: they met there, far from the kingdoms audiences saw.
Rose Leslie played Ygritte and Kit Harington played Jon Snow. To audiences, they were two characters from Game of Thrones; in real life, they met while working on the second season, in 2011. Seven years passed between that meeting and their wedding: what began on a set grew beyond fiction, until it became a life they shared.
On June 23, 2018, the couple married at the church in Kirkton of Rayne, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The reception was held at Wardhill, Leslie’s family castle. They said “I do” at the church; the castle was the setting for the celebration, not the ceremony.
Their first child was born in February 2021. Their second daughter arrived in 2023. The two actors who met while working together started a family away from the cameras; the story that began during filming now had a life of its own, independent of a series.
Four dates are enough to trace their journey: 2011, when they met; 2018, when they married; 2021 and 2023, when their children arrived. The screen gave them characters; life gave them time to build a story of their own. Sometimes, the most enduring story begins off-script. 🎬