Coming under the patronage of Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Fremantle, FitzClarence received further naval education from Commander William Henry Smyth and served in the Ionian Islands upholding British neutrality in the Greek War of Independence.

After another period serving in the Mediterranean, FitzClarence was employed escorting dignitaries, such as George Ramsay, 9th Earl of Dalhousie, to and from their posts abroad.

Impregnable was part of the escort charged with taking the monarchs allied to Britain, Alexander I of Russia and Frederick William III of Prussia, from Calais to Dover for peace celebrations.

While Clarence stayed in Impregnable to organise the return of Alexander and Frederick to France, FitzClarence transferred to serve on board the 50-gun fourth rate HMS Newcastle on 15 June.

[5] With the War of 1812 ongoing, Newcastle sailed from Spithead on 23 June as escort to a convoy travelling to Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The ship captured an American privateer en route and arrived on 17 September, after which she joined the blockade of the 44-gun frigate USS Constitution in Boston.

Tagus joined the Mediterranean Fleet in early 1816, where talks were ongoing with Algiers to stop the Barbary States' practice of Christian slavery.

Rochfort was designated as the new flagship for the Mediterranean under Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Fremantle, the father of FitzClarence's friend Charles, who would soon also join the ship.

"[12] Rochfort arrived in the Mediterranean on 3 March 1819, and in April Fremantle had his son and FitzClarence transferred to the 10-gun sloop HMS Aid.

The ship was employed on surveying duties in the Ionian Islands and Adriatic Sea under Commander William Henry Smyth, who Fremantle thought to be a "remarkable good astronomer, draughtsman and surveyor".

FitzClarence returned to Rochfort in July, subsequently visiting Algiers and Tunis as part of Anglo-French efforts to stop Barbary piracy through diplomatic means.

[13] Euryalus was subsequently sent on several diplomatic missions, first visiting Naples in November to give a portrait as a gift to Pope Pius VII, and then travelling to Tunis for further anti-piracy talks in June 1823.

FitzClarence met his father again at Spithead in October when Clarence inspected the fleet there, including a half-hour visit to Redwing.

[14] FitzClarence left Redwing in January 1825 and spent a year on half pay, before on 9 February 1826 he was appointed to command the 20-gun post ship HMS Ariadne.

[1][14][15] This was another occasion in which FitzClarence replaced a captain in unusual circumstances, the previous commander of Ariadne having been dismissed for purchasing a slave at Zanzibar to use as a prostitute.

Having completed this duty FitzClarence returned to the Ionian Islands, where he again served to preserve neutrality in the ongoing Greek War of Independence.

While at Corfu FitzClarence learned that his father's elder brother Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany, had died, leaving Clarence heir to the throne.

He arrived at Portsmouth just as his father, who had been made Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom, was making an inspection of the fleet and as such was visited by him before leaving the ship.

The ship sailed from Portsmouth in March 1828 to join the Lisbon Station, protecting British interests as Portugal headed towards the opening of the Liberal Wars.

FitzClarence then took on board the previous holder of that office, George Ramsay, 9th Earl of Dalhousie, and escorted him home to Scotland.

[4][14] On 28 August Clarence, who was soon to leave his post as Lord High Admiral, used his influence to have FitzClarence given command of the 42-gun frigate HMS Pallas.

[14] With the Liberal Wars having begun, in December Pallas was sent with several other ships to preserve the Liberal-controlled Azores from a Miguelist expedition sailing from Britain to attack them.

Pallas left Britain on 20 July carrying Dalhousie and John Turner, Anglican Bishop of Calcutta, to India, arriving on 9 December having stopped at Madeira and the Cape of Good Hope.

They made stops at the Cape, St Helena, and Ascension Island, at the latter location adding turtles to a cargo that already included a Bengal tiger, cheetah, elk, Angora goat, and several antelopes.

[1][4] Continuing to reward his illegitimate children, on 24 February 1832 William appointed FitzClarence a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Guelphic Order, and he subsequently became a Lord of the Bedchamber in Ordinary on 5 January 1833, at which point he relinquished his previous role as Groom of the Robes.

FitzClarence was instead given other small jobs to complete, such as in 1832 escorting the model frigate Royal Louisa to be presented to Frederick William of Prussia at Potsdam.

In 1834 FitzClarence completed his only major service in Royal George herself, taking his stepmother Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen to Holland and back.

[18] FitzClarence took command of the yacht Firebrand in 1835 to carry Auguste, Duke of Leuchtenberg from Ostend to Woolwich on his way to marry Maria II of Portugal.

[19] Victoria used the royal yacht again in October 1844 to review a combined Anglo-French fleet at Spithead in honour of a visit from Louis Philippe.

[21] Money had been an issue for FitzClarence throughout most of his life, and his remaining funds were insufficient to pay his debts, funeral expenses, and legacies.