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Charles Arbuthnot

(1767-1850), Diplomat

Regency Portraits Catalogue Entry

Sitter in 2 portraits
Arbuthnot was Ambassador to Constantinople from 1804 to 1807. Responsible for negotiations with the Ottoman Empire regarding Napoleon's bid for the Empire's support; when this mission failed he turned from diplomacy to domestic politics. He entered Parliament as an MP in 1809 and in the same year was made Secretary of the Treasury. He served as First Commissioner of Woods and Forests, and as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Arbuthnot was a friend of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, and his wife Harriet became a hostess at the Duke's society dinners. She wrote an important diary detailing contemporary political intrigues. After Harriet's death, Arbuthnot lived with Wellington as his companion.

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The Trial of Queen Caroline 1820, by Sir George Hayter - NPG 999

The Trial of Queen Caroline 1820

by Sir George Hayter
oil on canvas, 1820-1823
NPG 999

Charles Arbuthnot, by Sir George Hayter - NPG 2662(14)

Charles Arbuthnot

by Sir George Hayter
pencil, pen and wash, circa 1820
NPG 2662(14)

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