 At the age of 24, she was betrothed to her second cousin once removed Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale, the eldest son of the Prince of Wales, but six weeks after the announcement of the engagement, he died unexpectedly during an influenza pandemic.The following year, she became engaged to Albert Victor's only surviving brother, George, who subsequently became king.Before her husband's accession, she was successively Duchess of York, Duchess of Cornwall, and Princess of Wales.