The English-speaking world cannot help but be overwhelmed by the massive media hoo-ha surrounding the birth of a royal who will be king. Good for you, GB and the piece that got my biggest cheer was a cartoon showing ERII with her dog behind a curtain in Buckingham Palace peeping out to see Prince Charles, Prince William and a baby in a pram in a row with the caption "We, three kings of ..."
Back to the serious business of the Times Crossword ... another cracker from this superior panel of anonymoussetters. I really enjoyed solving and blogging this. What a nice start to another lovely day.
ACROSS
1 BACHELOR Johann Sebastian BACH + ELOR (rev of ROLE, part) What a crackling start with such a lovely def leading man at start of Wedding Cantata ... my COD
9 AVE MARIA Ins of VE (middle letters of IVES) + M (mass) in A ARIA (vocal solo)
10 WIND FARM WIND (take a circuitous route) + FAR (distant) M (motorway)
11 PROSODIC *(DISC POOR) prosody is the study of versification; the study of rhythm, stress and intonation in speech.
12 ROTISSERIE ROT (in decline) IS SERIES (large part of chain)
14 SCAR An &littish acrostic
15 SETTING SETT (badger hole) IN G (GROUND minus ROUND, bullet)
17 REVERSE Ins of S (Southern) in Paul REVERE (1734–1818), an American patriot
21 OBOE *(BOLERO minus Left and Right)
22 WRISTWATCH Cha of WRIST (joint) WAT (eastern temple) CH (church)
23 BRISLING B (British) + RIESLING (wine) minus E (European) for a Norwegian sprat
25 HANDBOOK HAND (worker) BOOK (reserve as for a table in a popular restaurant) This always reminds me of whenever I buy a new gadget and cannot wait to tear off the wrappings and inserting the battery and then expecting it to work, like in the shop. After many minutes, you hear the wife saying gently "Read the instructions, dear"
26 ANATHEMA AN + A (answer) + THEM (those people) + A
27 MARKETER Ins of ARK (chest) in METER (something to measure)
DOWN
2 AVIEMORE A (ace) + VIE MORE (to compete again) for a Scottish tourist resort popular for skiing and other winter sports.
3 HEDONIST Ins of DON (fellow) in HEIST (robbery)
4 LEAT Ins of A in LET (permitted) for a trench for bringing water to a millwheel. I learn a new word today
5 RAMPART R (rook) AMP (ampere, a unit of electric current) ART (skill)
6 DENOUEMENT DEN (study) OU (Open University) EMINENT (distinguished minus IN) meaning unravelling of a plot or story; the issue, event or outcome.
7 PRODUCER PRO (for or showing support) DUCE (the title assumed by the Italian dictator Mussolini) R (right) Franco Zeffirelli is an Italian director and producer of films and television.
8 SANCERRE *(CANS) + ERRED (almost went wrong) for the white wine produced around Sancerre in the Loire valley.
13 SONGWRITER Ins of G (good) in *(OR WINTER'S)
15 SHOWBOAT *(BOOTH WAS)
16 TROPICAL Ins of R (river) in TOPICAL (current)
18 ERASABLE ERA (rev of AREA) + SABLE (a large predominantly black antelope of S and E Africa (Hippotragus niger), with long, ringed backward-curving horns)
19 SICK NOTE SICK (disappointed) NOTE (comment) not really an earth-shaking clue
20 GINGHAM GILLINGHAM (town in Kent) minus ILL (sick)
24 ONER NERO (emperor) with O (over) moved to the front
Key to abbreviations
dd = double definition
dud = duplicate definition
tichy = tongue-in-cheek type
cd = cryptic definition
rev = reversed or reversal
ins = insertion
cha = charade
ha = hidden answer
*(FODDER) = anagram
yfyap88 at gmail.com = in case anyone wants to contact me in private about some typo