Duchess of York is the principal
courtesy title held by the wife of the
duke of York. Three of the eleven dukes of York either did not marry or had already assumed the throne prior to marriage, whilst two of the dukes married twice, therefore there have been only ten duchesses of York.
Duchesses of York
The ten duchesses of York (and the dates the individuals held that title) are as follows:
In 1791,
Princess Frederica Charlotte of Prussia
Princess Frederica Charlotte of Prussia (Friederike Charlotte Ulrike Katharina; 7 May 1767 – 6 August 1820) was a Prussian princess by birth and a British princess by marriage. She was the eldest daughter of King Frederick William II of ...
(1791–1820) married
Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany
Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany (Frederick Augustus; 16 August 1763 – 5 January 1827) was the second son of George III, King of the United Kingdom and Hanover, and his consort Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. A soldier by profe ...
(second son of
King George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great B ...
); she thus became ''HRH'' The Duchess of York and Albany. Her husband held one double dukedom (
of York and Albany) rather than two. The Duchess received a warm welcome to Great Britain but following a troubled relationship with her husband, the couple separated. The two previous dukes of York and Albany had never married; since her husband was the last duke of York and Albany, Frederica was the only duchess with that double title.
Duchess of York eponyms
Ships
*
HMS ''Duchess of York'' (1801), built in Calcutta in 1801 and wrecked off Madagascar in 1811.
*HMS ''Duchess of York'' (1898), a paddle steamer built by
Barclay, Curle & Co. Ltd., Glasgow, used as a First World War
minesweeper. Later renamed ''Duchess of Cornwall'' to allow for a new ship to take its name.
*
SS ''Duchess of York'' (1928), a steam turbine ocean liner built by John Brown & Co Ltd., Clydebank for Canadian Pacific Steamships. Sunk after being bombed in 1943.
Other
*Duchess of York Ward, opened in 1935 at the
Royal Hospital and Home for Incurables.
References
Bibliography
ThePeerage.com; A source for peerage information*
{{British royal titles
British monarchy
Lists of duchesses