| COVENTGARDEN | Site of London's Royal Opera House (6,6) |
| SLOANE | ___ Square, site of London's Royal Court Theatre (6) |
| COVENT | ___ Garden, site in London of the Royal Opera House (6) |
| LION | Any one of the "kings of the beasts" formerly kept in the Tower of London's royal menagerie (4) |
| HORROR | Repugnance of Royal Opera House, back with roar: a loss! (6) |
| RICHMOND | Largest of London's Royal Parks, in a borough of the same name (8) |
| HYDE | ---- Park, one of London's royal parks (4) |
| GRESHAM | Founder of London's Royal Exchange in the 16th century |
| CHELSEAPENSIONER | Resident of London's Royal Hospital for war veterans (7,9) |
| GALA | Swimming event/meet for clubs to compete; or, a special evening hosted at the Royal Opera House for a Royal Ballet production, for example (4) |
| HORRID | Nasty, when Royal Opera House returns, to get shot of it (6) |
| ROBERTLLOYD | Principal bass appointed by Sadler's Wells Opera Company in 1969 and the Royal Opera House in 1972 |
| GOBBI | and 4ac, Italian baritone who produced and played the title role in Giuseppe Verdi opera Simon Boccanegra at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, in 1965 (4,5) |
| TITO | and 4ac, Italian baritone who produced and played the title role in Giuseppe Verdi opera Simon Boccanegra at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, in 1965 (4,5) |
| LEHMKUHL | Wiebke, German contralto who sang Voice of Erda in Richard Wagner's Das Rheingold at the Royal Opera House in 2023 (8) |
| PAPPANO | Antonio, conductor who is musical director of the Royal Opera House (7) |
| WESTEND | Home to the Royal Opera House |
| ARIAS | Royal Opera House solos |
| UGLY | Rudely dismissing Royal Opera House is unpleasant to behold (4) |
| ROHYPNOL | Royal Opera House deployed piano only, a real sleep inducer |
