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Hello, Jigjag.
I have never heard of the Queen insisting on anything, do you have a link?
The primary definition of "city" in every dictionary I have looked at, is "a large town".

Hello, Elle!
Lentil, carrot, and bacon is my favourite soup!
PAC is the acronym for Porting Authorisation Code.
This lets me keep my same 'phone number.
Without it I would have to get whichever number the network gave me.
I am heading out for a short while now....family taxiing!
Just a short run though!

Would that have been Bolton Girls Grammar, elle?
We had football, rugby and cricket matches against Bolton Boys, so I knew the way!
Our golfing 4 away-dayers have now played a couple of times at Bolton Golf Club, just up the road.

Hello Elle and Chris

If it was Bolton Girls my daughter played many sports fixtures there. The Lever family were great benefactors in the Wirral - I did not know it spread to Bolton. You would be surprised how many people visit PS to see the village - and dont go to the gallery.

Hello Rusty

The Queen decides what is a city, and it is announced by Royal proclamation. I remember the Swansea one that Tyke51 mentioned. It was about 40 years ago and I was collecting stamps then and bought a First-day cover with Prince Charles on it, presumably as Prince of Wales. She has created many cities since. I remember the Sunderland one was controversial. Bolton, Warrington, Croydon, Huddersfield etc are not cities. The dictionaries must be referring to foreign towns/cities, certainly not UK

Yes, Jigjag, the Queen does indeed decide what is a city - that's often the second, and UK specific, definition of a 'city'. The first definition, 'large or populous town' is not referring to foreign towns or cities - this would be noted. I've just read some discussion on the Times website on this clue, crossword - many solvers did not even hesitate at the 'city - Bolton' clue as the city/large town has come up many times before (apparently, I've missed them!).

Lord Lever - later Viscount Leverhulme - was from Bolton - see here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Lever,_1st_Viscount_Leverhulme

Hello, Jigjag.
I mentioned earlier that Chambers has 6 definitions of "city".
The Queen may proclaim some cities, that would be one definition, but the first and main definition is "a large town".
"Foreign towns/cities" are nothing to do with it.
What about all the cities throughout the World?
Does the Queen decide which are cities? Of course not.
The dictionary is defining what the word actually means, and that is "a large town".
I ask again, do you have a link to the Queen "insisting" Bolton was not a city?

Rusty, you and I would probably have had the same initial wonder/doubt about any large town being described as a 'city', but Chambers would have resolved that for us. This clue seems to have caused so much debate, argument because it involves a large town that almost became a 'city' (def 2) but didn't. Although I see that bit as irrelevant, I can appreciate that others don't.

Hello, Malone,
Yes, I see that.
I think it is perfectly simple, as does Collins, Chambers, etc.
And I think it was a good clue, too.

https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/9591837.disappointment-as-bolton-misses-out-on-city-status/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-13841482