Princes among men
British DJ Mark Dezzani was hoping to be elected prince of Seborga, a self-proclaimed independent state in Italy. Some other self-declared nations not recognised by others:
— Hutt River in Western Australia declared independence in 1970 after farmer Leonard Casley complained he hadn’t been granted a large enough quota for growing wheat. He later proclaimed himself Prince Leonard but abdicated last month in favour of his youngest son, Prince Graeme.
— Sealand, previously known as Roughs Tower, is a gun emplacement built to defend the Thames during the second world war but then abandoned. In the 1960s it was occupied by businessman Roy Bates, who ruled as Prince Roy until his death in 2012. Since 1987, the UK has reasserted ownership thanks to the extension of British territorial waters. Sealand also has a ‘government in exile’: in 1978 it was invaded by a German lawyer who was captured, charged with treason and then released.
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