Crossword Genius

Ne'er-do-well I had left with the Queen (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

idler

'ne'er-do-well' is the definition.
(both can mean a good-for-nothing person)

'i had left with the queen' is the wordplay.
'i had' becomes 'I'd' (contraction).
'left' becomes 'L' (common abbreviation).
'with' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'the queen' becomes 'ER' (Elizabeth Regina).
'id'+'l'+'er'='IDLER'

(Other definitions for idler that I've seen before include "Someone unemployed" , "Lazy type" , "One avoiding work" , "One reluctant to work" , "one averse to work" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app