Could Prince Andrew’s Duke Of York Title Be Given To Princess Beatrice’s Future Husband?

Royal titles have both fascinated and confused fans of British royalty. One question that has been swirling around is who will eventually inherit the Duke of York title, which is currently held by Prince Andrew, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie’s father.

One interested fan posted the question “Can the son-in-law of Prince Andrew be granted the Duke of York?” on the Q&A site Quora, hoping other fans might have the answer. Based on the responses made by the site’s users, there are a few interesting possibilities on what might happen should the prince die.

The question is tricky because Andrew only has two daughters — Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie — but no sons. “The dukedom can only be inherited by legitimate male heirs,” Town&Country wrote.

Thus, there is a very real possibility that the dukedom might be lost from Andrew’s family upon his passing. “After the death of the Duke of York without male heirs, the most likely scenario, then the title will revert to the crown,” John Lingley responded on Quora.

There is a slim chance that it might be recreated to be given to anyone Queen Elizabeth II or any reigning monarch at that time might choose. But even then, it won’t likely be given to Beatrice’s future husband. “However the likelyhood [sic] of it being granted to the son-in-law of the current Duke of York is absolutely zero, it just won’t happen,” Lingley added.

There’s actually a way for a dukedom to remain in the family even if the duke does not have male sons. “The only exception is when the letters patent includes a special remainder, stating that the title can be passed on to a daughter, sibling, cousin, or another member of the family,” Town&Country explained.

This is the only way Beatrice might get her hands on the Duke of York title after her father’s death. “There is the option of the queen granting him a second ‘Duke of York’ title with a remainder to the ‘lawful heirs of his body’,” explained Quora user Charles Kramer.

“In such a case the first Duke of York title would become extinct at his death, but the second would be inherited by his eldest daughter,” Kramer added. However, he also noted that this scenario has a very small chance of happening.

Chances of it happening will be even further reduced if it were Prince Charles at the helm upon Andrew’s death. The current Prince of Wales has always been open about streamlining the monarchy, which could ultimately mean Beatrice and Eugenie being sidelined eventually.