Ancient king’s even-handed letter read out? (7)

I believe the answer is:

pharaoh

'ancient king's' is the definition.
(ancient Egyptian king)

I don't understand how the rest of the clue works.

(Other definitions for pharaoh that I've seen before include "Ancient king of Egypt" , "Eg, Tutankhamen" , "Egyptian leader" , "Ancient Egyptian king" , "Royal ruler in ancient Egypt" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.

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