I couldn't find any commissions by him for the King but upon further reading he painted the Dowager Duchess of Kent in 1835 his paintings impressed the new queen Victoria who chose him as the Principal Painter in Ordinary which ruffled a few feathers at the Royal Academy.
My guess is he was introduced by the Duchess of Kent.
https://www.rct.uk/collection/405421/victoria-duchess-of-kent-1786-1861
Until George, the position had been filled by the president of the Royal academy. So when David Wilkie died (the president) in 1841, it was fully expected his successor Martin Archer Shee would also replace him as Principal painter. Victoria broke tradition by naming another artist instead.
June 30, 1670. Death of Princess Henrietta of England.
Henrietta was born June 16, 1644. She was the youngest child of Charles I and Henrietta Maria. Her mother was the daughter of Henry IV of France and Marie de Medici. She was born at Bedford house on the eve of the second battle of Newbury during the English civil war.
She was one of nine children, though two died the day they were born:
-Charles James: died the day he was born
-Charles- succeeded as Charles II. Married Catherine of Braganza. He had no children with his wife and was succeeded by his brother.
-Mary: married William II of Orange. Was the mother of William III who would one day be co-ruler of England with his wife Mary.
-James: succeeded his brother as James II. Married Anne Hyde and Mary of Modena. Had four children who reached adulthood. Mary and Anne with Anne Hyder who would both reign as queens, and James and Louisa Maria with Mary. James was known as the 'old pretender' and was father of Bonnie prince Charlie.
-Elizabeth: died at 15
-Anne: died young
-Catherine: died the same day born
-Henry: died at 20 Duke of Gloucester. He never married.
Henrietta was an ill baby. When she was born there was concern both her and her mother would not survive her birth as it was hard. She was placed into the care of Anne Villiers. The queen planned to head to France to seek aid from Louis XIV for her husband, and left for Falmouth. She learned her daughter suffered from convulsions during this time. Henrietta met her father for the first time in July when she was brought to Exeter for her baptism. In June 1646 in the care of Anne she was secreted away from England and reunited with her mother in France. Louis XIV was her first cousin, his father Louis XIII was Henrietta Maria's eldest brother.
In France she became known as Anne in honor of her aunt Anne of Austria, the wife of Louis XIII. Her and her mother lived at the Louvre in apartments they were granted. In January 1649 her father was executed. After the end of the civil war in France, Henrietta and her mother moved to the palace with the young king, his mother and brother. They were joined by her brother Henry in 1652. Though baptized Anglican her mother decided that she should be raised catholic in France.
After Louis XIV was married, attention turned to finding his brother Philippe a wife. And the choice fell to Henrietta. Philippe's attention had turned to her after Charles II was restored to his throne, and the position of the young English princess took a turn for the better. But though Philippe, who had been involved in a number of sexual scandals was impatient, he had to wait.
Her mother wanted to return home to seek a dowry for her, and to prevent her son James from marrying Anne Hyde. After the death of her brother Henry from small pox which devastated her, Henrietta left for Dover with her mother. November 22, 1660 the French court formally sought Henrietta's hand for the Duke of Orleans. Charles granted his sister a dowry of 80,000 livres and a further 20,000 for her expenses. He also gave his sister a personal gift of 40,000 and a chateau.
They were married May 31, 1661 at the Palace Royal. She was titled Madam, Duchess of Orleans. The couple made Tuileries Palace their home. The marriage started well, Philippe was doting, but when rumors came she was having an affair with the Count of Guiche, he became very jealous. He would eventually start an affair with one of her ladies in waiting.
She was known as a patron of the arts. She had quit the collection of paintings and often corresponded with top writers.
She was devastated by the loss of her mother in 1669. Her mother died from an over dose of opiates. Her pain was not helped by her husband who had rushed to seize all of her mother's possessions before she was even buried.
In 1669 Charles II publicly made known his intent to convert to become catholic. He planned to leave his alliance with Sweden and the Dutch republic and join France in an alliance. Henrietta who was always close to her brother who called her Minette, was anxious to return home for a visit and Louis was happy to send her to help with the treaty. Philippe though was totally against it. He was still furious over her reported affair, and worried she would go complaining to her brother about him. Thanks to Louis she arranged to go and left May 1670 and would remain for 6 days, until the treaty was signed June 1. It was a secret treaty and it would be known by the public until 1830.
She had been complaining since 1667 of pains in her side. By April 1670 she was having a hard time digesting anything but milk. After her return to France following the treaty she went with her husband to St Cloud. The day she died she drank a glass of chicory water and the pain was so bad she thought she had been poisoned. The royal family and bishop were sent for, and after she received last rights, she died. Though many people suspected she was poisoned and a few people were suggested including former lovers of her husband and his future wife. But she was said to have died of natural causes in the autopsy witnessed by over 100 people.
She was buried at the Royal Basilica of St Denis July 4. There was a second funeral on the 21st. It was attended by the royal family, mass numbers of the nobility and others like the Duke of Buckingham.
Henrietta had 7 pregnancies. She gave birth to 3 live children but only 2 daughters made it out of infancy.
-Marie Louise: married Charles II of Spain. Married for 10 years but bore him no children. Her death devastated her husband who was in love with her until the day he died.
-Philippe: was named Duke of Valois. He died in infancy.
-Anne Marie: married Victor Amadeus II of Savoy. Had 9 children, but only 3 made it to adulthood and only one out lived her. The current Jacobite claim to the throne descends through her. If not for the ban on the Catholic claim to the throne, the throne would have passed to her line not the Hannoverians. Her daughter Marie Adelaide was the mother of Louis XV of France.
After her death Philippe remarried to Elizabeth Charlotte, Madame Palatine. She was a granddaughter of Elizabeth Stuart (daughter of James I). She was 19 at the time. Like Henrietta she had 3 kids, 2 to reach adulthood.
-Alexandre: like Henrietta's son, he was Duke of Valois. He died at age 3.
-Philippe: only son to reach adulthood. He was Duke of Orleans. He served as regent for Louis XV in his minority. Married Francois de Bourbon and had 8 children.
-Elisabeth Charlotte: married Leopold, Duke of Lorraine. Had 15 children. Through her son Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor she was grandmother of Marie Antoinette.
Philippe died in 1701 (his second wife died in 1722).