John Willett Payne John Willett Payne ( 23 April 1752 – 17 November 1803 ) was an officer of the Royal Navy who also served as a close friend , advisor and courtier to Prince George before and during his first regency . Payne was notorious as a rake and scoundrel , but was also a Member of Parliament and noted for his bravery in several military actions during the American Revolutionary War and the French Revolutionary Wars . Out of favour in his later years , Payne was reconciled with the Prince in 1799 , but died whilst still in the service aged 51 , from an illness which developed during blockade operations in the Western Approaches . Early career . Payne was born in 1752 , son of Ralph Payne , Chief Justice of St Kitts and his wife Margaret " née " Gallaway . His elder brother Ralph Payne would later become Baron Lavington . Payne was educated at Dr . Bracken ' s Academy in Greenwich and later attended the Royal Naval Academy at Portsmouth to train as an officer . During this time he became friends with Hugh Seymour Conway , with whom he had a lifelong friendship and close naval partnership . In 1769 he left the academy to join HMS " Quebec " . " Quebec " served in the West Indies but after only a few months Payne moved to the ship of the line HMS " Montagu " before returning to Britain in 1773 aboard the sloop HMS " Falcon " . Payne briefly joined HMS " Egmont " but soon was attached to the large frigate HMS " Rainbow " for a cruise to the Guinea Coast . In 1775 he was back in England , where he passed for lieutenant aboard " Egmont " . American Revolutionary War . With the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War in 1775 , Payne joined HMS " Bristol " and participated in the Battle of Sullivan ' s Island under the command of Sir Peter Parker . Shortly afterward , Payne joined HMS " Eagle " in New York to serve as Lord Howe ' s aide - de - camp . In 1777 , Payne joined HMS " Brune " and the following year transferred to HMS " Phoenix " in which he participated in numerous coastal operations on the Eastern Seaboard . Payne returned to Britain aboard HMS " Roebuck " and in Britain served aboard HMS " Romney " . He impressed Commodore George Johnstone in this duty and in 1779 was made commander of the sloop HMS " Cormorant " . The following year , Payne was promoted to post captain and took over the prize frigate HMS " Artois " which he commanded in European waters . He was also embroiled in a scandal when he was accused of impressing Portuguese citizens out of merchant ships in the Tagus . In 1781 , Payne sailed to the Jamaica station in HMS " Enterprize " and the following year took over HMS " Leander " . In " Leander " , Payne fought a duel with a much larger enemy ship in which both vessels were severely damaged . The identity of the other ship was never established , but Payne was given the 80 - gun HMS " Princess Amelia " as a reward . At the war ' s conclusion , Payne returned to Europe and " Princess Amelia " was paid off . Royal service . During the early 1780s , Payne had formed a friendship with the rakish heir to the throne , George , Prince of Wales . After acting as companion to Lord Northington on a Grand Tour of Europe in 1785 , Payne returned to the service of the Prince as his private secretary and Keeper of the Privy Seal . Payne also ran the Prince ' s household and lent money to Lord Sandwich , who was obliged to obtain for Payne the parliamentary seat of UK Parliament constituency , which he held from 1787 to 1796 . During this period he was appointed captain of HMS " Phoenix " but never served at sea , drawing the pay whilst pursuing his other duties . Following the succession crisis of 1788 when King George III was struck down by porphyria , Payne was an active supporter of the Prince of Wales ' s regency . Payne corresponded closely with other supporters but also participated in the Prince ' s frequent and extravagant masques and entertainments . He also helped conspire in the Prince ' s illegal marriage to Maria Fitzherbert and was once rebuked by the Duchess of Gordon in the terms " You little , insignificant , good - for - nothing , upstart , pert chattering puppy " after being overheard making insulting comments about the Queen , Charlotte of Mecklenburg - Strelitz . French Revolutionary Wars . The King ' s recovery , combined with the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars , called Payne to see once more . Taking command of HMS " Russell " in 1793 , Payne joined the Channel Fleet under Lord Howe and the following year participated in the Atlantic campaign of May 1794 . Howe was attempting to chase down a French fleet guarding a grain convoy in the mid - Atlantic and after a month of sparring , caught the French on 28 May . Payne ' s ship was with the flying squadron under Thomas Pasley sent to engage the French and " Russell " fought well in this action and the following day . In the culminating engagement , the Glorious First of June , Payne ' s ship was heavily engaged and fought a succession of French ships , inflicting severe damage and making a great contribution to the eventual victory . In the aftermath of the action , Payne was rewarded with a gold medal and in 1795 was tasked with escorting the Prince of Wales ' s official wife , Caroline of Brunswick to Britain . Payne became friends with Caroline , and the bitter marriage between her and the Prince angered Payne . In addition , Payne had earned the enmity of Frances Villiers , Countess of Jersey and these factors combined to alienate him from the Prince , who dismissed Payne from all his offices in 1796 . The same year , Payne took command of HMS " Impetueux " , one of the ships he had captured at the Glorious First of June two years before . In her Payne led a squadron the blockade of Brest until 1799 , seeing no significant action and suffering from increasing ill - health as a result of the arduous service . In January 1799 , Payne retired ashore and was reconciled with the Prince , who described their relationship as " an old and steady friendship of upwards of twenty years standing " . In February Payne was made rear - admiral , but it was becoming clear that he was no longer fit for sea service . Retiring to the prestige post of treasurer of the Royal Naval Hospital at Greewich , Payne was actually a patient at the hospital for his last years , and plans for him to move into one of the Prince ' s residences at Carlton House came to nothing . Payne died in 1803 at the hospital from the strain of his long - service , and was buried at the Church of St . Margaret , Westminster . He never married and had no children , however had been one of the lovers of Emma Lyons who later became Lady Hamilton .