Is the Duke of York the Unluckiest Royal Title? All the Men Who Have Been Duke of York

From History Calling

Is the Duke of York the unluckiest royal title ever and how many Dukes of York have there been? In this royal history documentary from History Calling, we look at all the Dukes of York, from Edmund of Langley, fourth son of Edward III, all the way to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the disgraced son of Elizabeth II and brother of Charles III. In between we’ll look at famous figures who have also held this title like Edward IV, his son Richard of Shrewsbury who was the younger of the Princes in the Tower, Henry VIII, Charles I, George V and George VI. I’ll tell you what happened to the Dukes of York, why many of them faced very sticky ends (several Dukes of York have been murdered, killed in battle or died tragically young), why several were known as the Duke of York and Albany and even about the two pretenders to the Duke of York title, Perkin Warbeck and Prince Henry Stuart, the Cardinal Prince and the Jacobite Duke of York. I’ll explain why this title is most often given to the second son of the monarch, why it has been created eight separate times and how it became one of the most famous and historically significant titles in the British monarchy. I’ll also tell you who the next Duke of York will be (most likely) and why he might not want the title and explain the origins of the nursery rhyme, the Grand Old Duke of York and who it refers to.