Fischer's miniature shows the Duke of Sussex, who also held the title Earl of Inverness, in Highland dress of the Royal Stuart tartan with a cap adorned with thistles and with the ribbon and star of the Order of the Garter. It is based on a full-length oil portrait by William Beechey in the Fishmongers' Hall, probably exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1816 (no. 112).

Prince Augustus, Duke of Sussex, sixth son of George III and Queen Charlotte, married, firstly in 1793, secretly in Rome, and in contravention of the Royal Marriages Act, the Catholic Lady Augusta Murray. The marriage was formally annulled in 1794, and he married, secondly, in 1831, Lady Cecilia Underwood, created Duchess of Inverness by Queen Victoria as a mark of her affection for her uncle and in gratitude for his ceding to Prince Albert his position of precedence next to the Queen as George III's surviving son.