In 1826 he was a source of conflict between his brother Wellington and his political ally the Prime MinisterLord Liverpool. Wellington pushed for his brother to be granted a vacant Irish bishopric, and was supported by Richard who was now the Viceroy of Ireland, but Liverpool objected as he was living with a woman who wasn't his wife. The dispute, which strained the relationship between the two, was resolved after Liverpool enlisted the support of both the Chief Secretary for Ireland and the Archbishop of Canterbury to support his case.[3]