The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 10 letter word ORGAN-STOP
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
O
R
G
A
N
-
S
T
O
P
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Possibly the principal" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case possibly the principal = organ-stop.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.