The sitter was the only daughter of George IV, and wife of Prince Leopold the future king of the Belgians. In this portrait, of which there are a number of versions, she wears a blue silk Russian-style dress with the star of the Order of St Catherine on her left breast, which she received from the mother of Alexander I on 1 July 1817. The presence of Emperor Alexander I in London in 1814 may have created a fashion trend for dress in the Russian tradition, such as this Sarafan-style ensemble. The silk is of French manufacture, while the trimmings and the ensemble itself were made in England.

Painting acquired by King Edward VII, dress made for Princess Charlotte c. 1817