Duchess of York is the principal title held by the wife of the Duke of York. Three of the twelve Dukes of York either did not marry or had already assumed the throne prior to marriage, while two of the dukes married twice; therefore, there have been eleven Duchesses of York.
Duchesses of York The eleven Duchesses of York (and the dates the individuals held that title):
Person Name Coat of Arms Birth Marriage Became Duchess of York Spouse Change in style Death Infanta Isabella of Castile 1355 11 July 1372 6 August 1385 Edmund of Langley 23 December 1392 Lady Joan Holland 1380 4 November 1393 1 August 1402Husband's death;became Dowager Duchess of York 12 April 1434 Philippa de Mohun before 7 October 1398 1 August 1402 Edward of Norwich 25 October 1415Husband's death;became Dowager Duchess of York 17 July 1431 Lady Cecily Neville 3 May 1415 October 1429 (or earlier) Richard Plantagenet 30 December 1460Husband's death;became Dowager Duchess of York 31 May 1495 Lady Anne de Mowbray 10 December 1472 15 January 1478 Richard of Shrewsbury 19 November 1481 Lady Anne Hyde 12 March 1637 3 September 1660 James Stuart 31 March 1671 Princess Mary of Modena 5 October 1658 21 November 1673 6 February 1685Husband acceded to throne as James II;became queen consort 7 May 1718 Princess Frederica Charlotte of Prussia 7 May 1767 29 September 1791 Prince Frederick 6 August 1820 Princess Victoria Mary of Teck 26 May 1867 6 July 1893 Prince George 6 May 1910Husband acceded to throne as George V;became queen consort 24 March 1953 Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon 4 August 1900 26 April 1923 Prince Albert 11 December 1936Husband acceded to throne as George VI;became queen consort 30 March 2002 Sarah Ferguson 15 October 1959 23 July 1986 Prince Andrew 30 May 1996Divorced;assumed the style of Sarah, Duchess of York;17 October 2025ceased using courtesy title of Duchess of York upon Prince Andrew relinquishing his use of the title. Styled as Sarah Ferguson
In 1791, Princess Frederica Charlotte of Prussia (1791–1820) married Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany (second son of King George III); 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,Mary Beacock Fryer, Arthur Bousfield & Garry Toffoli: Lives of the Princesses of Wales (1984) 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. Rosa 'Duchess of York', named in 1994.
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