Imperial crown has no power to outlaw? (8)

I believe the answer is:

criminal

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

'outlaw?' is the definition.
('criminal' can be a synonym of 'outlaw')

I cannot understand how the remainder of the clue works.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for criminal that I've seen before include "Illegal - wicked" , "Offender" , "Violating the law" , "Felon, lawbreaker" , "An habitual breaker of the law" .)

I've seen this clue in the Irish Times.

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.