 He resigned his position at the College of Justice prior to 1 August 1590, on which day his son and heir Archibald was presented to it by King James VI, although these positions were not hereditary.Material given on behalf of his grandson, the Field Marshal Robert Douglas, Count of Skenninge, to the Swedish genealogical authorities, mention that this William, laird of Whittinghame, was sometime (perhaps around 1590) during the reign of James VI of Scotland, a Scots envoy to king Christian IV of Denmark and Norway (whose sister James VI married) (ref