Frederick Louis, Prince of Wales was heir apparent to the throne from 1727 until his death. He was the eldest but estranged son of George II and Caroline of Ansbach. He moved from Hanover to Great Britain following the accession of his father, and was created Prince of Wales but predeceased his father. On the King's death in October 1760, the throne passed to Prince Frederick's eldest son, who became King George III. Unlike his father, Frederick was a knowledgeable amateur of painting, who patronised immigrant artists like Jacopo Amigoni and Jean Baptiste Vanloo. Other artists he employed such as Philip Mercier, John Wootton, George Knapton and the French engraver Joseph Goupy, were some of the principal figures of the English Rococo. Wilson was on the periphery of the Prince's circle and thus secured the commission for portraits of his sons and their tutor: P24 Dr Francis Ayscough with the Prince of Wales and Edward Augustus, Duke of York and Albany, National Portrait Gallery, London and versions. Sadly for Wilson these were to be exceptional examples of patronage in royal circles.
