Crossword Genius

New king had — to be this? (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

crowned

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'be this?' is the definition.
The definition suggests a singular noun but the answer is not.

'new king had' is the wordplay.
'new king' becomes 'cr' (short for Carolus Rex, King Charles in Latin. I am not sure about the 'new' bit.).
'had' becomes 'owned' ('own' can be a synonym of 'have').
'cr'+'owned'='CROWNED'

'to' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for crowned that I've seen before include "Hit on the head" , "Invested with regal power" , "Formally made monarch" , "Invested as monarch" , "Installed as monarch" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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