Cryptic crossword No 1,524

I enjoy setting themed crosswords. While I like unthemed crosswords I find setting them a little boring. I hope you can solve this one. I have tried to mix up easier with more esoteric clues.

Thanks, crypto. Fortunately I didn't have a mouthful of coffee when I solved 1a; but it set me in a good mood for the rest of the puzzle. 16a is a word I didn't know, but the wordplay was clear enough once I'd reassured myself that "Minnie" wasn't extremely rude! Couldn't parse 24a - enabling annotated solutions is helpful for the solver and, I find, a useful discipline for the setter. Favourites were 12a, 20a (I wish!), 23a, 6d 9a, 8d. Mild spoiler in reply.

Thanks @Gollum for compliments and other comments. 16a is indeed a rare word that I didn't know until I solved the puzzle. 24a is a double definition. The non-monarch part of the clue is given in Chambers Dictionary if you look up the answer. I take your point about annotations. Glad you enjoyed my second effort on this platform.

Thanks Crypto, lots of good stuff here imo. Nice short coherent surfaces - something I'm working on. Like Gollum, be nice to see the explanations for some I couldn't work out even after getting the answer.

If you enjoy thematic cryptic crosswords you may like to collaborate in a project I am working on for setters and solvers. Contact me via gmail.com my user name is darby.higgs