Shee was an Irish writer and painter whose first contact with royalty was a commission in 1800 to paint the Duke of Clarence (later William IV). His moment came in 1830 when William IV succeeded his brother and when he succeeded Lawrence as President of the Royal Academy and was knighted in the same year. All the original works of Shee in the collection were commissioned or acquired by William IV. Shee did also paint Queen Victoria in 1842 (Royal Academy). Richard Colley Wellesley was born in Ireland in 1760 and was the elder brother of Arthur Wellesley, later 1st Duke of Wellington (1769-1852). A politician who held positions in the House of Commons in both Ireland and Britain, Lord Wellesley served as Governor-General of India and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. In this portrait he is depicted in his role as Lord Steward of the Household, an office he held between 1830-33. Richard Wellesley lived with the French actress Hyacinthe-Gabrielle Roland and the couple had five children together before he married her in 1794, although the children were considered illegitimate so did not inherit the title of Marquess. One of their daughters, Lady William Cavendish-Bentinck, was the great-great-grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II. This portrait was presented by the sitter to William IV who hung it at Windsor, although it was hanging in Buckingham Palace by 1876. Lord Wellesley was a patron of Shee and seems to have been responsible for bringing him to the attention of William IV. This picture was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1833. Lord Wellesley wears Garter Robes and carries the white staff in his position as Lord Steward. He also wears around his neck the badge of the Grand Master of the Order of St Patrick. In the background is a view of Westminster Abbey.