Apedia

Power Throne President's Wife Influence People Knew Real

Idiom Power behind the Throne
Example The president's wife had so much influence on him that people knew she was the real power behind the throne.
Meaning the actual, but unrecognized, person in charge
Origin This saying was being used in England by the 1770s. "Throne" does not always stand for a royal position. It could mean the office of any leader. If someone else is telling the leader what to do, he or she could be called the "power behind the throne."

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