morganatic
/ˌmɔːrɡəˈnætɪk/
adjective
- Relating to a marriage between a person of high rank (such as a royal) and a person of lower rank, where the lower-ranking spouse and their children do not inherit the higher-ranking spouse's titles or property.
- The novel tells the story of a morganatic marriage between a duke and a commoner.
- In some European monarchies, morganatic unions were once common to preserve royal bloodlines.
- The prince's morganatic marriage meant his wife could not become queen.