10 Regular People Who Declared Themselves Royalty

9. Boris I Of Andorra, Who Regrettably Waged War On His Own Country

Despite a relatively short time as ruler, Boris Skossyreff managed to achieve a lot when he set himself up as ruler of European microstate Andorra. He designed his own flag, wrote and published a constitution, and declared war on the Bishop of Urgell. It was the last decision as ruler that brought his kingdom crumbling down. A Lithuanian nobleman and adventurer, Skossyreff was expelled from Andorra for bad behaviour in 1934, and declared himself Boris I, King of Andorra and "Regent for His Majesty the King of France" whilst living in in Urgell, Spain. It's there he decided to set his sights on Justí Guitart i Vilardebó, legal co-prince of Andorra. It was when he made that public declaration of war that King Boris was placed under arrest by Spanish police, and then expelled to Portugal. Rumour had it he died in a concentration camp, but actually he survived and became a civilian technician working on the Eastern Front. Not the sort of fate you usually see foisted upon a member of a royal family.