At this point, it's probably becoming clear that declaring yourself ruler of an existing country usually doesn't end well. Especially if you value the connection between your head and your shoulders. So, Paddy Roy Bates had the bright idea of creating his own, unofficial micro-nation just off the coast of Suffolk, England. He called it Sealand. After shoving a pirate radio station of an old World War I sea defence tower in the sixties, Bates had the bright idea of declaring it a sovereign nation. Sealand has its own currency, national anthem, and passports, and went to war when a businessman hired mercenaries to storm the tower and take it over, with intentions of turning it into a casino. They got fought of, as all comers did. Prince Roy died at the age of 91, having moved to a nursing home in Essex, but Sealand remains in control of his son. His Royal Highness Prince Michael has already dealt with a German man calling himself King Marduk I claiming Sealand to be part of his imaginary country...
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
