The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 plus 5 letter word EMINENCE GRISE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
E
M
I
N
E
N
C
E
G
R
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S
E
More clues leading to the result EMINENCE GRISE
- Who really has the power in emergencies at sea?
- Covert adviser hopeless in emergencies
- Power behind the throne terrible in emergencies
- Shadowy official activated in emergencies
- One wielding power behind the scenes, unpredictable in emergencies
- Controlling influence deployed in emergencies
- Shadowy figure pulling strings making enemies cringe
- Power behind the throne, Cardinal will revolt after midnight
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "One wielding power behind the scenes" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case one wielding power behind the scenes = eminence grise.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.