 He was also knighted and subsequently appointed to the Privy Council in 1591, and began to act as Secretary of State in 1589, although his formal appointment came later.He participated in the social life of the royal court, on 15 September 1595 he went hawking with the queen and they caught three partridges, which they gave to Elizabeth Wolley.In 1597 he was made Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, and in 1598 dispatched on a mission to Henry IV of France, to prevent the impending alliance between that country and Spain.