He had a distinguished academic and legal career culminating in his appointment as Queen's Advocate-General.

[1] His public career came to a sudden end in 1872 after a scandal involving his wife Marie.

He published while at Oxford an epitome of Niebuhr's History of Rome, an annotated edition of Livy and other works, but his studies mainly lay in the direction of political economy, law, chiefly international law, and international politics.

His reputation abroad led to his being invited in 1884 by Leopold II, king of the Belgians, to draw up the constitution of the Congo Free State.

[5] Chaffers, who also claimed to have been one of her lovers, was allegedly blackmailing her, sending her bills for imaginary "services rendered", which she initially paid.

When she refused to pay any more, Chaffers made a statutory declaration about her, which he sent to various bishops and to the Lord Chamberlain.

Twiss continued to research and publish on aspects of international law and kindred topics.