Why Is Egg Bald in 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms'? The Real Reason Behind the Disguise

If you pressed play on HBO’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and immediately clocked the kid nicknamed “Egg” looking freshly buzzed, you weren’t overthinking it. The bald head isn’t a random choice. It’s the disguise.

HBO’s new six-episode series, based on George R.R. Martin’s beloved “Dunk and Egg” stories, follows a broke, big-hearted hedge knight and his tiny, sharp-tongued squire. HBO calls it “an endearing tale” about “an unexpected duo, set a century before the events of Game of Thrones.” Fans quickly noticed Egg’s shaved head, and the reason behind it makes perfect sense once you learn who he really is.

Egg shaves his head because he’s hiding in plain sight. He isn’t some random street kid. He’s secretly Aegon Targaryen — yes, that Targaryen — with the silver-gold hair that would give him away instantly. At the Ashford Meadow stretch of the story, his older brother, Prince Daeron, cuts his hair to hide his Targaryen features while they travel incognito. Egg commits fully to the disguise. He goes by “Egg,” wears plain clothes, and tops it off with a wide-brim straw hat while serving as Dunk’s squire.

In the stories, Aegon spends time at court, but he dreams of a life that feels earned, not handed to him because of his last name. Ashford Meadow becomes his escape hatch. He travels undercover, learns how the world actually works, and attaches himself to someone who lives closer to the dirt than the throne. Dunk offers no politics and no performance. He offers blisters, risk, and a moral code he’s still building.

The connection to Game of Thrones runs deeper than shared names and houses. The series takes place about a century before the original show, during a time when the Targaryens still rule the Iron Throne and the memory of dragons hasn’t fully faded. Egg’s true identity ties the story directly into royal history. He later becomes King Aegon V, better known as “Aegon the Unlikely,” whose family line causes the drama that comes later.

And while the tone shifts away from massive wars and sprawling politics, the danger never stops. As George explained, the series has a different tone, but is just as intense. “You may find the tone quite different from that of GAME OF THRONES or HOUSE OF THE DRAGON,” George wrote. “Smaller in scale, more personal, with more humor, more focus on character … but there is danger and death as well.

Peter Claffey leads the cast as Ser Duncan “Dunk” the Tall, with Dexter Sol Ansell as Egg. Finn Bennett plays the cruel and unpredictable Aerion Targaryen, while Bertie Carvel appears as Prince Baelor and Sam Spruell takes on Prince Maekar.