The news spread very quickly from there. Holt and the others were fairly surprised to hear they had a royal prince in their midst. ‘Dammit, I knew there was something about that guy,’ Holt kept saying. He was even more surprised to learn that Ben and Wolf had already been in on the secret. Baldacci insisted that he’d known all along too, just didn’t think it was worth mentioning. But the strongest reaction to the news was that of Nobby Scraggs, the proud royalist. To the profound embarrassment of his comrades, not to mention of the prince himself, he did everything but prostrate himself on the ground at the feet of the exalted personage, and finally had to be dragged away after trying to get an autograph on his jubilee mug.

Nobby’s wild enthusiasm wasn’t shared by all. ‘I don’t see much royal-looking about the dude,’ Baldacci said, emphasising his point by spitting on the ground. ‘Who gives a rat’s ass about any of them, anyhow?’

‘I have no problem with the old dame,’ said Nielsen, ‘I mean, respect to her and all. She’s been through a lot of shit and handled herself with style. But they have a serious problem keeping their younger generation in line, man. What a bunch of misfits.’

‘I’d give’m all an ass-whupping,’ Baldacci growled. ‘Starting with this one right here.’

‘That I’d like to see,’ Nielsen chuckled.

‘Maybe you will, buddy. Maybe you will.’

But not all the Americans were so disparaging. ‘So that’s a prince,’ Madison said to Ben, eyeing him from a distance. They were sitting together by the truck, gulping a hurried coffee before it was time to get moving again. ‘I’ve never met one before. Met the president once. It’s not the same.’

‘You aren’t going to start carrying on like Nobby, I hope,’ Ben muttered. ‘Clutching at the guy’s trousers and trying to kiss the royal ring.’ Nobby was now banished to the other side of the camp, on pain of physical violence if he misbehaved again.

‘I never do that on a first date,’ Madison replied. ‘Though I gotta say, he’s not bad looking in the flesh. Is there a lady prince?’

‘A what?’ Ben blinked, confused for an instant before he understood. ‘I don’t really know. I don’t think so.’

‘He looks so sad and lonely,’ she said. ‘Think I’ll go and say hi. Relax, I’m just curious to meet him, that’s all. I told you, my heart belongs to another.’