What's bent to sovereign born after king (4)

I believe the answer is:

knee

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'what's bent to sovereign' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this defines the answer.

'born after king' is the wordplay.
'born' becomes 'nee' ('nee' is 'born' in French).
'after' says to put letters next to each other.
'king' becomes 'K' (abbreviation for king in chess).
'nee' put after 'k' is 'KNEE'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for knee that I've seen before include "It jerks reactively" , "Major joint in leg" , "Hinged joint" , "Leg hinge" , "Flexible joint" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.

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