Sealand : the true story of the world's most stubborn micro nation and its eccentric royal family

A swashbuckling tale of international intrigue, armed battles, and Swingin' Sixties radio pirates over a fifty-year history of the world's smallest rebel nation. In 1967, a retired army major and self-made millionaire named Paddy Roy Bates cemented his family’s place in history when he inaugurated himself ruler of the Principality of Sealand, a tiny dominion of the high seas. And so began the peculiar story of the world’s most stubborn micronation on a World War II anti-aircraft gun platform off the British coast. Sealand is the raucous tale of how a rogue adventurer seized the disused Maunsell Sea Fort from pirate radio broadcasters, settled his eccentric family on it, and defended their tiny kingdom from UK government officials and armed mercenaries for half a century. Incorporating original interviews with surviving Sealand royals, Dylan Taylor-Lehman recounts the battles and schemes as Roy and his crew engaged with diplomats, entertained purveyors of pirate radio and TV, and even thwarted an attempted coup that saw the Prince Regent taken hostage. Incredibly, more than fifty years later, the self-proclaimed independent nation still stands―replete with its own constitution, national flag and anthem, currency, and passports. Featuring rare, vintage photographs of the Bates clan and their unusual enterprises, this stranger-than-fiction account of a dissident family and their outrageous attempt to build a sovereign kingdom on an isolated platform in shark-infested waters is the stuff of legend.

A "thoroughly researched, stranger-than-fiction" history of the world's tiniest rebel nation, filled with intrigue, armed battles, and radio pirates (Robert Jobson, author of Prince Philip's Century ). In 1967, a retired army major and self-made millionaire named Paddy Roy Bates cemented his family's place in history when he inaugurated himself ruler of the Principality of Sealand, a tiny dominion of the high seas. And so began the peculiar story of the world's most stubborn micronation on a World War II anti-aircraft gun platform off the British coast. Sealand is the raucous tale of how a rogue adventurer seized the disused Maunsell Sea Fort from pirate radio broadcasters, settled his eccentric family on it, and defended their tiny kingdom from UK government officials and armed mercenaries for half a century. Incorporating original interviews with surviving Sealand royals, Dylan Taylor-Lehman recounts the battles and schemes as Roy and his crew engaged with diplomats, entertained purveyors of pirate radio and TV, and even thwarted an attempted coup that saw the Prince Regent taken hostage. Incredibly, more than fifty years later, the self-proclaimed independent nation still stands—replete with its own constitution, national flag and anthem, currency, and passports. Featuring rare vintage photographs of the Bates clan and their unusual enterprises, this account of a dissident family and their outrageous attempt to build a sovereign kingdom on an isolated platform in shark-infested waters is the stuff of legend. "Memorable... This idiosyncratic history entertains." ? Publishers Weekly "Endlessly captivating, like a thriller, and filled with crisp, evocative writing. Now, you'll have to excuse me, I'm visiting the principality to become an official 'Lord of Sealand.'" ?Bob Batchelor, author of The Bourbon King

The saga of Sealand, the world's smallest rebel nation, is a swashbuckling tale of international intrigue, armed battles, and Swingin' Sixties radio pirates over a fifty-year span of self-proclaimed sovereignty. In 1967, retired army major and self-made millionaire Paddy Roy Bates cemented his family's place in the history books when he inaugurated himself King of the Principality of Sealand, tiny dominion of the high seas. And so began the peculiar story of the world's most stubborn micronation on a World War II anti-aircraft gun platform off the coast of England. Sealand is the raucous tale of how a rogue, larger-than-life adventurer seized the disused Maunsell Sea Fort from a group of pirate radio broadcasters, settled his eccentric family on it, and defended their tiny kingdom from UK government officials and armed mercenaries for half a century. Incorporating original interviews with surviving members of the principality's royal family, Dylan... General Fiction "Sealand is the raucous tale of how a rogue adventurer seized the disused World War II anti-aircraft gun platform, settled his family on it, and defended their rebel nation from British government officials and armed mercenaries for half a century. Incorporating original interviews with surviving Sealand royals, Dylan Taylor-Leham recounts the battles and schemes as Roy and his crew engaged with shady businessmen, entertained pirate radio and TV broadcasters, and even thwarted an attempted coup. Incredibly, the self-proclaimed independent nation still stands today--replete with its own constitution, national flag and anthem, currency, and passports."--Taken from back book cover