 After his cousin, King Christian VII, acceded to the throne in 1766, he was appointed lieutenant general, commander of the Royal Guard, knight of the Order of the Elephant and member of the Privy Council.In 1766, he was appointed Governor-General of Norway as successor to Jacob Benzon (1688–1775).He held the position until 1768 but which remained mostly titular, as he never went to Norway during this period.