Cryptic crossword clue
Chatter inanely about royal ruler 8

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word TETRARCH

I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
T
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R
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H

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "ruler" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case ruler = tetrarch.
The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

What does TETRARCH mean?

TETRARCH noun
  1. A governor of part of a country, especially of a fourth part of a province in Ancient Rome
  2. An officer in charge of a fourth part of a phalanx in Ancient Greece

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