power behind the throne

1. A person with great influence who stays behind the scenes and has no apparent authority. For example, Harry may be the CEO, but it's obvious that his wife is the power behind the throne. [Mid-1800s]

Example Sentences

Demonstrators waved signs blasting "President Musk" or "King Elon," noting that no one had elected the Trump advisor to serve as the power behind the throne.

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They are accusing Musk of being the true power behind the throne.

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On Thursday, anti-Islam firebrand Geert Wilders became the power behind the throne in a new Dutch government that is throwing overboard compromise politics to set up the most radical rightwing coalition since the war.

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I can easily imagine a scenario where Trump is a figurehead and there is a real power behind the throne pulling the strings.

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She later said that Conservative-supporting newspapers had wrongly portrayed her as the power behind the throne, by suggesting she was more intelligent than her husband.

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Related Words

• fixer 
• kingmaker