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I see the word you mean but how is that related to the first 4 letters of the second name - I can't see anything connecting them in Chambers?

No, brendan - you're right it's your app that's wrong - look at the first entry for 'perch' in Chambers and you'll find the def you're looking for (and trust me - there is a 4th entry in Chambers that gives it as an alt sp for the 4 letter word you've got).

Just for my peace of mind and so I know I'm not going mad, can you confirm the first name is a man and the second is a woman?

Okay, thank you again for your patience Drxx, it's truly appreciated:-)

Yes, confirmed - and 3 letters of the 4 and 5 letter words are the same (we do some strange things with our consonants up north - but we like it like that}.

I enjoyed the solving but think the end game is rather 'iffy. Does 29d actually fit the preamble? The ultimate word isn't a synonym of the word in the clue but a dialect word for something that shares a synonym of the word in the clue. Not totally convinced regarding the rule application to 23a too.

Fortunately the first name dropped out nicely and put me on the right track to reverse engineer the end game. (I was sidetracked by the apparent regular removal of a monarch). 😄

Another splendid puzzle from Ifor.

That was fun. The rigour of applying the rules in such strict sequence was a very impressive bit of construction. Although I must confess that the second rule eluded me until the first name produced a very definite PDM at which point the rule was blindingly obvious. Thank you, Ifor!

I’m still confused by how Rule 2 works.

I haven’t managed to parse 17a. Maybe if I get that a penny will drop. Can anyone help please?

17a) Embrace enveloping a Shakespearean prince like spiritual leader (8)

Thank you

Hi cloverjo,
wordplay is a synonym of embrace
(heading² in Chambers) round a + the usual Shakespearean prince; think middle East.