In the choppy North Sea about six miles off the English coast, a floating, rusty World War II fort is a self-proclaimed independent nation. Owned by one family for nearly 50 years, the Principality of ...

Yet the “hard as nails” Bates family have put their lives on the line on more than one occasion to remain the undisputed monarchs of their self-styled kingdom since 1966. For them it’s certainly not ...

Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily. A few months ago, internet entrepreneur Avi Freedman received an unexpected email ...

SEALAND (AFP) - It's a hulking metal-and-concrete platform in the North Sea that has been run as an independent micronation in defiance of the British government for the last 54 years. But even on ...

You've almost certainly heard of some of Europe's smallest nations — San Marino, Liechtenstein, and Vatican City immediately spring to mind. But there are a host of other tiny, self-declared ...

For a European head of state, His Royal Highness Prince Michael lives modestly. His principle residence is a bungalow on the Essex coast which also serves as the premises for Hair of the Dog, his ...

The Principality of Sealand is located on a floating platform the size of a small oil rig seven nautical miles off the coast of England. It claims to be a microstate. It issues passports as well as ...

In 1967, Major Roy Bates, a veteran of the Second World War, decided it would be nice to be royal; so he occupied a derelict concrete offshore WW2 anti-aircraft gun platform off the east coast of ...

Where do you go when you think it’s crucial to provide access to ad-free episodes of Heroes but the rest of the world labels you a dirty pirate? If you’re Swedish “intellectual property reform group” ...

Struggling to find a Christmas gift for that friend who has everything? Well, for about $50 you could make them a lord or lady of Sealand — described by supporters as the smallest independent state in ...