1940s
In 1940 he started work for the French Section, Joint War Organization of the British Red Cross Society and the Order of St John, London. In 1942 he was posted to Foreign Relations Department, British Red Cross Society. During this time de Maistre scarcely painted. After World War II, however, he had become an artist of the establishment. He had no trouble selling his paintings, and continuing to accept private commissions for society portraits.
Having many years previously changed the spelling of his surname to de Maistre, believing the modern spelling suited a modern painter, by the 1950s he had also added the name Laurent. He added this new name mistakenly believing he had royal blood through his grandfather Prosper de Mestre supposedly via Julie de St Laurent, mistress of Edward Duke of Kent, the father of Queen Victoria. He had also changed the spelling of Livingstone to Leviston and then to Leveson. Eventually he also added the name Joseph, in acknowledgment of a connexion with the philosopher Joseph de Maistre.
Read more about this topic: Roy De Maistre