crisiñaki said:
What happens to the title of Duke of York? doesn't it belong to the second in line after the Prince of Wales?, so when Charles become King, what will happen with Andrew and Henry?
The title Duke of York is a normal title and can be inherited by a son. It is just that since the late middle ages no Duke of York has had a son to inherit it except for those Dukes of York that became King.
I have attached the list of the Dukes of York and what happened to the holder for you.
First creation - Edmund of Langley, the fourth surviving son of Edward III. His son Edward was convicted of treason and his titles forfeited in 1415. Edward's son Richard managed to obtain a restoration of the title, however, though his eldest son, also named Edward, was the last to hold the title, as when he became King, his titles merged into the Crown.
Second creation - Richard, second son of Edward IV one of the Princes in the Tower and as he died without legitimate male issue, the title became extinct at his death.
Third creation - Henry Tudor, second son of Henry VII later Henry VIII, when the titles merged into the crown.
Fourth creation - Charles Stuart, second son of James I later Charles I.
Fifth creation - James Stuart, the second son of Charles I. When his older brother, Charles II, died without legitiamte issue, James succeeded to the throne as James II and the title once again merged into the Crown.
First creation of title as Duke of York and Albany - Duke Ernest Augustus of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Bishop of Osnabrück, the youngest brother of George I. He died without heirs.
Second creation of title as Duke of York and Albany - Prince Edward Augustus, younger brother of George III, who also died without heirs, having never married.
Third and last creation title as York and Albany title - Prince Frederick Augustus, the second son of George III. He too died without legitimate issue in 1828.
Sixth creation of title as Duke of York - Prince George of Wales, second son of Bertie, Prince of Wales, the future Edward VII. He was created Duke of York following the death of his older brother, the Duke of Clarence. The title merged with the crown when George succeeded his father as King George V.
Seventh creation was for Prince Albert, second son of King George V, and younger brother of Edward VIII. Albert came unexpectedly to the throne when his brother abdicated, and took the name George VI, the dukedom merging into the crown.
Eigth creation was for Prince Andrew, second son of Queen Elizabeth II. As of the present day, he has only two daughters. Thus, if he has no future sons, which seems highly likely, the title will become extinct at his death and merge into the Crown. If the tradition of awarding the title to the second son of the monarch was to continue, the title would then be awarded to Prince Harry, the younger son of Prince Charles. Titles are traditionally given on marriage and if Harry's marriage predated Andrew's death, another title would have to be awarded instead.
Aside from the first creation, every time the Dukedom of York has been created it has had only one occupant, that person either inheriting the throne or dying without male heirs. This has given rise to the idea that there is a curse of some sort on the title.
NB Victoria could have created her own second son Duke of York as her uncle died in 1828 (if he had lived until 1830 he would have become king thus the title would have merged anyway) but she didn't do so. Therefore it is not necessary for the second son to be created Duke of York. When George V was created Duke of York he was actually the eldest surviving son of the heir to the throne as his brother had already died.
