Things that may stand near thrones?

Once upon a time, there was a kingdom where the queen was known for her love of cleanliness. She was particularly insistent on having all of her guests clean themselves thoroughly before entering the throne room, but was also well aware that some clothing could be difficult to remove in order to use the chamber pots.

One day, a visiting diplomat arrived from a far-off kingdom and was taken aback by the lack of proper hygiene facilities available. In secret, he commissioned a group of skilled workers to create a special contraption that would allow the queen to cleanse herself without the need for bulky clothing to be removed. The result was a hand-crafted porcelain device, complete with a seat and a built-in washing mechanism.

The queen was overjoyed by this new invention and promptly installed her new “throne-side bidet” in the royal bathroom. She loved it so much that soon all of her most trusted advisors began requesting their own personal bidets, which were soon found in homes all across the kingdom.

And so, the answer to the crossword clue “Things that may stand near thrones?” is revealed to be none other than the trusty bidet – the preferred cleansing device of royalty everywhere!