"Exceptionally good fortune on the part of those who've been blessed with it, I would guess," speculates a thin man in a tidy suit and hat, a silver-headed cane supporting one hand. "But I must beg pardon, your Highness, for we haven't met."

Sweeping the hat from his head, he bows. "I am called Schön W. Freund, and am delighted to meet you at last."