Crossword Genius

They make up the royal train (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

courtiers

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

'they' is the definition.
Both the definition and answer are plural nouns.
Maybe there's a link between them I don't understand?

'up the royal train' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'the' could be 't' (the is pronounced as a 't' sound in some dialects) and 't' is located in the answer.
'royal' could be 'er' (abbreviation for Elizabeth Regina) and 'er' is found in the answer.
'up' could be 'is' (I've seen this in other clues) and 'is' is present in the remaining letters.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'make' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

I've seen this clue in The Irish Independent.
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.