The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 plus 5 letter word GRAND AUNTS
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
G
R
A
N
D
A
U
N
T
S
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "relatives" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case relatives = grand aunts.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 GRAND AUNTS mean?
GRAND AUNTS noun- A sister of grandparent
- An aunt of one's parent (i.e. a sister or sister-in-law of one's grandparent).