He was a favorite of the queen

Raleigh participated in the army that battled to put down the Desmond Rebellions from 1579 to 1583. Even the faction that slaughtered 600 Spanish and Italian soldiers were led by him. He was promptly recognized by Queen Elizabeth I for his bravery.

He received considerable properties in Munster as payment for his Irish service. He was given a lease on a portion of Durham House in the Strand, London, in 1583 by the queen. From there, he held a monopoly over the export of broadcloth (1585) and wine licenses (1583). He also held numerous other positions, including warden of the stannaries (Cornish tin mines), lieutenant of Cornwall, and vice-admiral of Devon and Cornwall. Two years after receiving his knighthood, in 1587, Raleigh was appointed captain of the queen's guard. In 1600, he received his final royal appointment and served as governor of Jersey, one of the Channel Islands.

Raleigh, who is tall and attractive, swiftly won the queen's court over. According to legend, Raleigh once unbuttoned his cloak and spread it on a puddle so the queen might walk across it. Famously, the queen "trod kindly, repaying him later with numerous clothes, for his so free and seasonable offering of so fair a footcloth," according to a 1662 account of this occurrence.