Crossword Genius

Throne established the navy, to a point (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

northern

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'to a point' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this defines the answer.

'throne established the navy' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
an anagram of 'throne' is 'northe' which is present in the answer.
'navy' could be 'rn' (Royal Navy) and 'rn' is found within the answer.
No letters remain.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for northern that I've seen before include "'... lights, Aurora Borealis (8)'" , "Relating to Belfast, say" , "14 13" , "in Scotland?" , "Relating to Antrim, say" .)

I've seen this clue in The Daily Express.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.