Sir Richard Preston, 1st Earl of Desmond (died 1628) was a favourite of King James VI and I of Scotland and England.
His family was gentry of the Edinburgh area and owned Craigmillar Castle in the late 16th and early 17th century.
His family placed Richard (the younger) as a page at the King's court in Edinburgh where he is mentioned in that capacity in 1591.
[6] In London the King met in 1608 Robert Carr who became his favourite and seems to have supplanted Lord Dingwall, as he was now, in that role.
In 1609 Preston attended the Accession day tournament, and presented a pageant of an artificial elephant, designed by Inigo Jones, which made its way slowly around the tiltyard.
[7][8] A tournament of tilting was held on New Year's Day 1614, to celebrate the wedding of Robert Carr and Frances Howard.
When the only child of the latter, a daughter, was about to be married to the son of the Earl of Denbigh, the title was passed to the intended bridegroom.