# Help me ID this Jeffrey Archer short story

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-this-jeffrey-archer-short-story/451472>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [June 2, 2008, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-this-jeffrey-archer-short-story/451472 "2008-06-02T14:19:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\
**Post date:** [June 2, 2008, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-this-jeffrey-archer-short-story/451472/1 "2008-06-02T14:19:45Z")

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A male member of the British Royal Family visits some remote, sparsely-populated part of the Commonwealth on short notice. The local governor organizes the entire tiny populace to see that the prince is well-treated, and finds himself polishing the prince’s shoes late that night.

I read the story many years ago and would like to do so again. Anyone know it?

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**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\
**Post date:** [June 2, 2008, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-this-jeffrey-archer-short-story/451472/2 "2008-06-02T15:31:19Z")

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Nope - but sounds like I´d like it.

Subscribed.

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**Author:** ![jali](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecae2f/32.png) [@jali](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jali)\
**Post date:** [June 2, 2008, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-this-jeffrey-archer-short-story/451472/3 "2008-06-02T15:43:06Z")

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Try asking him on his [blog](http://www.jeffreyarchers.blogspot.com/) . I’ll best he’ll answer - he updates regularly.

I want to read it too!

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**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\
**Post date:** [June 2, 2008, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-this-jeffrey-archer-short-story/451472/4 "2008-06-02T15:54:10Z")

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The story is “Shoeshine Boy”, in his book “Twelve Red Herrings”

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**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\
**Post date:** [June 2, 2008, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-this-jeffrey-archer-short-story/451472/5 "2008-06-02T17:25:33Z")

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Many thanks, **Captain**! I’ll look it up.

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**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\
**Post date:** [June 26, 2008, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-this-jeffrey-archer-short-story/451472/6 "2008-06-26T05:05:47Z")

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[QUOTE=Captain Amazing]  
The story is “Shoeshine Boy”, in his book “Twelve Red Herrings”  
[/QUOTE]

Just found it, and right you are. The royal personage is Lord Mountbatten, visiting a (fictitious) tiny British colony in the North Atlantic called St. George’s. It’s a funny story - one of the best in that collection, I’d say.