Designating a marriage (or the wife involved) between a man of higher rank and a woman of lower rank, often having various legal repercussions (typically that such a wife has no claim on the husband's possessions or title). It was not an aspect of English law, but was common in other royal houses, especially in Germany.
tragicomic
tragicomic
adj
Of, pertaining to, or resembling tragicomedy; having both tragic and comic aspects.