This portrait and its pair of Queen Charlotte (RCIN 401407) were exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1781 and hung in the Dining Room of the King's apartments at Buckingham House; after a long stint in the State Dining Room of Buckingham Palace they were moved to Windsor Castle in 1950. Both images were much copied and seem to represent the official portraits of the Royal Couple for the 1780s and 1790s. The King wears 'Windsor Uniform' recently introduced by George III (in 1779) and still used by male members of the Royal family at Windsor. The simple style of this dress and of this porrtait suggest that the King was anxious to project a manly and dignified rather than magnificent impression. The way he points to his Garter star, as if it were a guiding principle, chimes with his high-minded expression, looking out as if towards a distant source of light.