The Symbolism Behind the Hairstyles in "House of the Dragon"

In addition to being the only house to command dragons, House Targaryen are also known for their monopoly on white-blond hair. Their hair color is as constant as Otto Hightower's (Rhys Ifans) maneuverings to supplant his kin on the throne. But why is everyone's hair near white?

It's due to generations of inbreeding to keep the royal bloodline "pure." This practice caused a majority of the family to inherit the trademark white-blond hair. However, we do meet a few Targaryens who don't have that same notable hair color. In these cases, this means one of the parents is from outside of the Targaryen family and, therefore, the recessive trait is overridden.

There is one exception to this rule (but more on that in four slides below).