Royal crimper, I also cut equally high and low (8)
I believe the answer is:
imperial
'royal' is the definition.
('imperial' can be a synonym of 'royal')
'crimper i also cut equally high and low' is the wordplay.
'cut equally high and low' says the answer is hidden in the clue (3 letters are removed on each side of the answer).
'IMPERIAL' is hidden within 'crimper i also'.
(Other definitions for imperial that I've seen before include "Non-metric" , "Relating to empire" , "Related to empire" , "Like some rulers" , "To do with empire or emperor" .)