The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word RAJAH
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
R
A
J
A
H
More clues leading to the result RAJAH
- Hotel not to put up prince or king
- Indian prince almost had drink knocked over
- King at end of extra pilgrimage returned with eastern prince
- East Asian chief raised pint perhaps? What a surprise!
- Prince shows bottle going round a hospital
- Set up hospital, open for Asian VIP
- Prince knocking back glass of beer that’s nice!
- Mumbai Royal Hotel not shut, needing turnover
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "eastern prince" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case eastern prince = rajah.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 RAJAH mean?
RAJAH noun- A Hindu prince or ruler in India.
- Any of various nymphalid butterflies of the genus Charaxes.