ABSTRACT
In 1803, in a statement 'often taken as the first real definition of the office of Prime Minister', William Pitt asserted: the absolute necessity there is, in the conduct of the affairs of this country, that there should be an avowed and real minister possessing the chief weight in council and the principal place in the confidence of the King. Shelburne was quickly sidelined and conciliated with a marquisate, but Pitt had more difficulty in asserting supremacy over those actually in the Cabinet. The Duke of Richmond thought the King's partiality to Lord Thurlow 'so great and so decided, that his Majesty's confidence could not be obtained by any Ministry of which the Chancellor was not a part', and Pitt's supporters feared that 'the King's predilection is to Lord Thurlow, and if he could do without Pitt perhaps he would not scruple to sacrifice him'.
