Cryptic crossword clue
Royal pair occupy stern, getting perfect air for 23 5-5

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 11 letter word POKER-FACED

I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
P
O
K
E
R
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F
A
C
E
D

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "perfect air for 23" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case perfect air for 23 = poker-faced.
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.

Crossword Answer definitions

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