Andrew Lee, a Korean-American and self-confessed introvert, was quietly building a successful California tech company before he was unexpectedly named Crown Prince of Korea and suddenly thrust into the limelight.

The tech entrepreneur’s story is a fairytale of the modern age. Until his inauguration in October – at a “Passing of the Sword” ceremony in a Beverley Hills restaurant 5,945 miles from Seoul – Mr Lee, 34, was living an uneventful suburban American life with his wife Nana Lee and their two small children.

Earlier this year, in a dramatic twist worthy of a Disney plot, a distant relative, King Yi Seok, 77, the nominal emperor of the Joseon dynasty, known in turn as the “singing prince” and “the last pretender to an abolished throne” had nominated Mr Lee as next in line for the crown.

The king, who promotes tourism and teaches history in the South Korean city of Jeonju in between ceremonial duties, had chosen Mr Lee on account of his “positive energy.”

The young Californian, however, is still more accustomed to wearing a black baseball cap than bejeweled headware, admitting in an interview that he is slowly coming to terms with what his new role as successor to Korea’s imperial throne will actually mean.