Morganatic Marriage

Also Known as Left-Handed Marriage.

A type of marriage that can be contracted in certain countries, usually between people of unequal social rank, which prevents titles, privileges and estates of the royal or noble spouse from being shared by or passed on to the partner of lesser status or rank. Although any children born of the marriage union are considered legitimate, they have no claim on the property, titles, etc. of their noble parent.

This type of marriage was also known as a left-handed marriage as the groom held his bride's right hand in the wedding ceremony hand with his left hand rather than with his right.

The source of the term is from the medieval Latin 'morganaticus' which refers to the "morning gift" (or dower) given by the groom to the bride on the morning after the wedding. In a morganatic marriage, that was the only gift she would receive.

Morganatic marriage was originally a German custom, where it was known as unebenbürtig or ehe zur linken hand - marriage by the left hand. Marriages have never been considered morganatic in any part of the UK, and indeed the present Queen, Elizabeth II, is the daughter of a King (George VI) and a commoner (Elizabeth Bowes Lyon). All four of Elizabeth II's children have married commoners, with no effect on the order of succession.