Following the accession of King George III in 1760 the choice of a bride for him fell upon Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. In 1761 a squadron of yachts and men-of-war under the Admiral of the Fleet, Lord Anson, was sent to Cuxhaven on the German coast to collect her. The principal yacht, the 'Royal Caroline', was renamed 'Royal Charlotte' and sumptuously fitted out for the Princess. Westerly gales blew the returning squadron over to the Norwegian coast and three successive gales of contrary winds prevented them reaching Harwich for ten days.

Just to the right of centre is the 'Royal Charlotte' in port-quarter view, lying-to under her mainsail. She is flying the Royal Standard, Admiralty flag and the Union flag. She is caught in a shaft of sunlight through a stormy sky and the sea is breaking on her bow. On the left in shadow is the 'Nottingham', wearing the Union and also lying-to under mainsail, in port-quarter view. The 'Winchester' in port-quarter view is to the right and beyond the 'Royal Charlotte', also in shadow, as are the rest of the squadron strung out across the background of the painting. One of the ketch-rigged yachts on the right is wearing a reversed ensign from her main halyards as a sign of distress.
The other ships present in the fleet were 'Minerva', 32 guns, 'Tartar', 28 guns, 'Hazard', 14 guns, 'Lynx', 14 guns, and the yachts 'Mary', 'Katherine', 'Augusta' and 'Fubbs'.

The painting is probably a copy of the one now in the Royal Collection and originally owned by Queen Charlotte. The original was exhibited at the Society of Artists in London in 1762. It was painted from a sketch made on board the escorting yacht, 'Fubbs', although it is not clear if Wright himself made the sketch. He later incorporated the central section of the picture into the background of Joshua Reynolds's portrait of Mary Manton, Duchess of Ancaster, who had accompanied the princess in the 'Fubbs'. The shaft of sunlight may be seen as a symbol of hope for the future of the British monarchy. Similarly the small yacht battling through the elements is also symbolic of the monarchy.

Richard Wright was a self-taught artist who came from Liverpool. The maritime comings and goings of royalty provided marine painters with a rich vein of fashionable subjects, particularly after 1714 when the Hanoverians regularly visited their German possessions.