The Prince of Wales (1762–1830) (later George IV)

This 1798 portrait of the Prince of Wales, later George IV, was painted when Beechey was at the height of his royal favor — in the same year he was knighted and elected a full Royal Academician. The prince was notorious for his extravagant lifestyle, enormous debts, and political opposition to his father George III, but as heir to the throne he required official portraiture that presented him with appropriate dignity. Beechey, knighted in 1798 and portrait painter to Queen Charlotte, executed the work with his characteristic solid, dependable oil technique that documented Georgian society's ruling classes with honest directness. The Royal Academy of Arts holds this portrait as part of its collection of work by and connected to its own members, preserving the institutional record of the organization's connections to royal patronage throughout the Georgian era. Beechey's portrait of the Prince of Wales at this pivotal moment in his own career — receiving the royal accolade and academic recognition simultaneously — represents the summit of Georgian official portraiture in the years before Lawrence superseded him as the preferred painter of the court.

The heir to the throne is presented with suitable grandeur, the rich costume and confident bearing rendered with the precision and flattery expected of royal portraiture.