Principality of Sealand#House of Bates

{{Infobox micronation

| name = Principality of Sealand

| image_map = File:Europe location SLD.png

| image_map2 = File:Sealand fortress.jpg

| map_caption2 = Aerial view of Sealand in 2005

| claimed_by = Paddy Roy Bates, Michael Bates

| date_start = {{start date|1967}}

| location = HM Fort Roughs, an offshore platform off the coast of England{{cite news |last=MacEacherhan |first=Mike |title=Sealand: A peculiar 'nation' off England's coast |url=https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20200706-sealand-a-peculiar-nation-off-englands-coast |access-date=14 August 2024 |work=Yes |agency=BBC |archive-date=1 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220101195534/https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20200706-sealand-a-peculiar-nation-off-englands-coast |url-status=live }}

| coordinates = {{Coord|51|53|42.6|N|1|28|49.8|E|scale:5000_region:UK|display=title,inline}}

| area_km2 = 0.0004

| population = 1 {{small|(as of August 2024)}}

| official_website = [https://sealandgov.org sealandgov.org]

}}

The Principality of Sealand ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|iː|ˌ|l|æ|n|d}}) is a micronation on HM Fort Roughs (also known as Roughs Tower),{{Cite news |last=Cawley |first=Laurence |date=2017-09-02 |title=The off-shore fort 'state' of Sealand marks 50 years |language=en-GB |publisher=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-suffolk-41135081 |access-date=4 September 2023 |archive-date=4 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230904014535/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-suffolk-41135081 |url-status=live }} an offshore platform in the North Sea. It is situated on Rough Sands, a sandbar located approximately {{convert|11|km|nmi|0}} from the coast of Suffolk and {{convert|13|km|nmi|0}} from the coast of Essex. Roughs Tower is a Maunsell Sea Fort that was built by the British in international waters during World War II. Since 1967, the decommissioned Roughs Tower has been occupied and claimed as a sovereign state by the family and associates of Paddy Roy Bates. Bates seized Roughs Tower from a group of pirate radio broadcasters in 1967 with the intention of setting up his own station there. Bates and his associates have repelled incursions from vessels from rival pirate radio stations and the UK's Royal Navy using firearms and petrol bombs.{{Cite news |last=McCrea |first=Aisling |date=2020-01-30 |title=No Man Is An Island? |url=https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/2020/01/no-man-is-an-island |access-date=2024-01-10 |work=Current Affairs |language=en |issn=2471-2647 |archive-date=10 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240110193041/https://www.currentaffairs.org/2020/01/no-man-is-an-island |url-status=live }}Ryan, John; Dunford, George; Sellars, Simon. Micronations: The Lonely Planet Guide to Home-Made Nations, Lonely Planet Publications, 2006, pp. 9–12. In 1987, the United Kingdom extended its territorial waters to 12 nautical miles, which places the platform in British territory. As of August 2024, Sealand has only one permanent resident.{{Cite web |last=Wertheim |first=Jon |date=2024-08-04 |title=Sealand, world's smallest state, has just 1 permanent resident {{!}} 60 Minutes - CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/micronation-sealand-bates-royal-family-60-minutes-transcript/ |access-date=2024-08-14 |website=cbsnews.com |language=en-US |archive-date=14 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240814092512/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/micronation-sealand-bates-royal-family-60-minutes-transcript/ |url-status=live }}

History

In 1943, during World War II, Roughs Tower was constructed by the United Kingdom as one of the Maunsell Forts,{{cite book |last=Zumerchik |first=John |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IBKoUXrF5p0C&pg=PA563 |title=Seas and Waterways of the World: An Encyclopedia of History, Uses, and Issues |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-85109-711-1 |page=563 |access-date=12 January 2021 |archive-date=19 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240819195314/https://books.google.com/books?id=IBKoUXrF5p0C&pg=PA563 |url-status=live }} primarily to defend the vital shipping lanes in nearby estuaries against German mine-laying aircraft. It consisted of a floating pontoon base with a superstructure of two hollow towers joined by a deck upon which other structures could be added. The fort was towed to a position above the Rough Sands sandbar, where its base was deliberately flooded to sink it in place. This is approximately {{convert|7|nmi|km|0}} from the coast of Suffolk, outside the then three-mile limit of the United Kingdom and, therefore, in international waters at the time. The facility was occupied by 150–300 Royal Navy personnel throughout World War II; the last full-time personnel left in 1956. The Maunsell Forts were decommissioned in the 1950s.{{Cite web |last=Milligan |first=Markus |date=2020-05-20 |title=The Maunsell Sea Forts |url=https://www.heritagedaily.com/2020/05/the-maunsell-sea-forts/122564 |website=HeritageDaily Archaeology News |language=en-US |access-date=20 November 2020 |archive-date=28 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201128145901/https://www.heritagedaily.com/2020/05/the-maunsell-sea-forts/122564 |url-status=live }}

= Occupation and establishment =

Roughs Tower was occupied in February and August 1965 by Jack Moore and his daughter Jane, squatting on behalf of the pirate station Wonderful Radio London.

On 2 September 1967, the fort was occupied by Major Paddy Roy Bates, a British citizen and the owner of a pirate radio station, who ejected the competing group of pirate broadcasters.{{cite book |last1=Ryan |first1=John |title=Micronations |title-link=Micronations: The Lonely Planet Guide to Home-Made Nations |last2=Dunford |first2=George |last3=Sellars |first3=Simon |publisher=Lonely Planet |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-74104-730-1 |page=9}} Bates intended to broadcast his pirate radio station—called Radio Essex—from the platform.{{cite news |last=Gould |first=Jack |date=25 March 1966 |orig-date=24 March |title=Radio: British Commercial Broadcasters Are at Sea; Illegal Programs Are Beamed From Ships |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1966/03/25/archives/radio-british-commercial-broadcasters-are-at-sea-illegal-programs.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=19 December 2015 |id={{ProQuest|116890783}} |df=dmy-all |archive-date=22 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222170906/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9E06E6DC1E39E735A75756C2A9659C946791D6CF |url-status=live }} Despite having the necessary equipment, he never began broadcasting.{{Cite web |title=Radio Essex |url=http://www.offshoreechos.com/forts/radio_essex.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140917092141/http://www.offshoreechos.com/forts/radio_essex.htm |archive-date=Sep 17, 2014 |website=Offshore Echos}} Bates declared the independence of Roughs Tower and deemed it the Principality of Sealand.

In 1968, British workmen entered what Bates claimed to be his territorial waters to service a navigational buoy near the platform. Michael Bates (son of Paddy Roy Bates) tried to scare the workmen off by firing warning shots from the fort. As Bates was a British subject at the time, he was summoned to court in England on firearms charges following the incident.{{Cite magazine |last=Garfinkel |first=Simson |date=July 1, 2000 |title=Welcome to Sealand. Now Bugger Off. |language=en-US |magazine=Wired |url=https://www.wired.com/2000/07/haven-2/ |issn=1059-1028 |access-date=4 September 2023 |archive-date=22 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422113913/https://www.wired.com/2000/07/haven-2/ |url-status=live }} The court ruled that the platform (which Bates was now calling Sealand) was outside British territorial limits, being beyond the {{convert|3|nmi|km|0|adj=on|spell=in}} limit which then applied to the country's waters. As a result, the case could not proceed as it was not within British jurisdiction.{{Cite court|litigants=Regina v. Paddy Roy Bates and Michael Roy Bates|court=The Shire Hall, Chelmsford|date=25 October 1968|url=https://www.benvenutiasealand.it/documenti/1968-sealand-in-tribunale-sealand-british-court-case/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230904014542/https://www.benvenutiasealand.it/documenti/1968-sealand-in-tribunale-sealand-british-court-case/|url-status=live}}{{Cite journal |last1=McConnell |first1=Fiona |last2=Moreau |first2=Terri |last3=Dittmer |first3=Jason |date=2012-06-01 |title=Mimicking state diplomacy: The legitimizing strategies of unofficial diplomacies |url=https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1334910/ |journal=Geoforum |series=Space, Contestation and the Political |volume=43 |issue=4 |pages=804–814 |doi=10.1016/j.geoforum.2012.01.007 |issn=0016-7185 |doi-access=free |access-date=4 September 2023 |archive-date=4 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230904014535/https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1334910/ |url-status=live }} Bates considers this Sealand's first instance of de facto recognition.

File:Flag of Sealand.svg, designed by Paddy Roy Bates in 1975]]

{{anchor|Flag}}In 1975, Bates introduced a constitution for Sealand, followed by a national flag, a national anthem, E Mare Libertas, a currency, passports, and an immigration stamp.{{cite news |last1=MacEacheran |first1=Mike |title=Sealand: A peculiar 'nation' off England's coast |url=http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20200706-sealand-a-peculiar-nation-off-englands-coast |access-date=23 September 2020 |work=BBC Travel |publisher=BBC |date=5 July 2020 |language=en |archive-date=30 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200930011526/http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20200706-sealand-a-peculiar-nation-off-englands-coast |url-status=live }}

= 1978 attack and Sealand Rebel Government =

In August 1978, Alexander Achenbach, who described himself as the Prime Minister of Sealand, hired several German and Dutch mercenaries to lead an attack on Sealand while Bates and his wife were in Austria, invited by Achenbach to discuss the sale of Sealand. Achenbach had disagreed with Bates over plans to turn Sealand into a luxury hotel and casino with fellow German and Dutch businessmen.{{Cite web |last=Payne |first=Adam |date=Mar 2, 2017 |title=WELCOME TO SEALAND: The utterly bizarre independent micronation that's been sitting off the British coast for over 50 years |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/the-history-of-micronation-sealand-2017-3 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US |access-date=3 April 2019 |archive-date=3 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403231349/https://www.businessinsider.com/the-history-of-micronation-sealand-2017-3 |url-status=live }} They stormed the platform and took Bates's son, Michael Bates, hostage. Michael was able to retake Sealand{{how?|date=September 2024}} and capture Achenbach and the mercenaries. Achenbach, a German lawyer who held a Sealand passport, was charged with treason against Sealand,{{Cite podcast |url=https://thisiscriminal.com/episode-171-sealand-8-27-21/ |title=171: Sealand |website=Criminal |publisher=Vox Media Podcast Network |date=2021-08-27 |access-date=29 August 2021 |archive-date=30 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210830095350/https://thisiscriminal.com/episode-171-sealand-8-27-21/ |url-status=live }} and was held unless he paid DM 75,000 (more than US$35,000 or £23,000).{{cite news |title=Attempt to free captive from private 'island' fails |date=5 September 1978 |page=3 |work=The Times}} Germany then sent a diplomat from its London embassy to Sealand to negotiate for Achenbach's release. Roy Bates relented after several weeks of negotiations and subsequently claimed that the diplomat's visit constituted de facto recognition of Sealand by Germany.{{cite book |last1=Ryan |first1=John |title=Micronations |title-link=Micronations: The Lonely Planet Guide to Home-Made Nations |last2=Dunford |first2=George |last3=Sellars |first3=Simon |publisher=Lonely Planet |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-74104-730-1 |page=11}}

Following his repatriation, Achenbach and Gernot Pütz proclaimed a government in exile, sometimes known as the Sealand Rebel Government or Sealandic Rebel Government, in Germany.

= Expansion of British territorial waters =

In 1987, the United Kingdom extended its territorial waters to 12 nautical miles, which put Sealand in waters internationally recognised as British.

Sealand previously sold fantasy passports (as termed by the Council of the European Union), which are not valid for international travel.{{Cite web |date=2010-06-17 |title=Table of travel documents entitling the holder to cross the external borders and which may be endorsed with a visa - (Parts II and III) and Part V (documents to which visas cannot be affixed) |url=https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/documents-publications/public-register/public-register-search/results/?WordsInSubject=&WordsInText=&DocumentNumber=7789%2F10&InterinstitutionalFiles=&DocumentDateFrom=&DocumentDateTo=&MeetingDateFrom=&MeetingDateTo=&DocumentLanguage=EN&OrderBy=DOCUMENT_DATE+DESC&ctl00%24ctl00%24cpMain%24cpMain%24btnSubmit=}} In 1997, the Bates family revoked all Sealand passports, including those that they themselves had issued over the previous 22 years, due to the realisation that an international money laundering ring had appeared, using the sale of fake Sealand passports to finance drug trafficking and money laundering from Russia and Iraq.{{Cite news |last=Gooch |first=Adela |date=2000-04-12 |title=Police swoop on Sealand crime ring |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2000/apr/12/3 |issn=0261-3077 |access-date=13 February 2019 |archive-date=14 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214002821/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2000/apr/12/3 |url-status=live }} The ringleaders of the operation, based in Madrid but with ties to various groups in Germany—including to the rebel Sealand Government in exile established by Achenbach—had used fake Sealandic diplomatic passports and number plates. They were reported to have sold 4,000 fake Sealandic passports to Hong Kong citizens for an estimated $1,000 each.{{Cite web |last=Boggan |first=Steve |date=1997-09-23 |title=Money Laundering: Global fraudsters use sea fortress as passport to |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/money-laundering-global-fraudsters-use-sea-fortress-as-passport-to-riches-1240742.html |website=The Independent |language=en |access-date=12 March 2022 |archive-date=13 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200213052845/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/money-laundering-global-fraudsters-use-sea-fortress-as-passport-to-riches-1240742.html |url-status=live }} Michael Bates stated in late 2016 that Sealand was receiving hundreds of applications for passports every day.{{Cite web |date=2017-01-17 |title=Sealand swamped by passport applications after Brexit and Trump |url=https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/755158/Sealand-passport-applications-Brexit-Donald-Trump |website=Express.co.uk |language=en |access-date=8 October 2019 |archive-date=6 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200406113625/https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/755158/Sealand-passport-applications-Brexit-Donald-Trump |url-status=live }}

In 2015, Bates asserted that Sealand's population is "normally like two people".{{Cite web |last=Eveleth |first=Rose |author-link=Rose Eveleth |date=2015-04-14 |title='I rule my own ocean micronation' |url=https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20150414-i-rule-my-own-ocean-micronation |website=BBC Future |publisher=BBC |access-date=20 November 2020 |archive-date=28 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201128115955/https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20150414-i-rule-my-own-ocean-micronation |url-status=live }}

= 2006 fire =

File:Sealandafterfire2.JPG

On the afternoon of 23 June 2006, the top platform of the Roughs Tower caught fire due to an electrical fault. A Royal Air Force rescue helicopter transferred one person to Ipswich Hospital, directly from the tower. The Harwich lifeboat stood by the Roughs Tower until a local fire tug extinguished the fire.{{Cite news |date=2006-06-23 |title=Blaze at offshore military fort |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |publisher=BBC |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/5110244.stm |access-date=2023-09-04 |archive-date=30 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120530054922/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/5110244.stm |url-status=live }} All damage was repaired by November 2006.{{cite web |title=Sealand Renovation Update 4 |url=http://www.churchandeast.co.uk/Sealand%20update%204.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140304151403/http://www.churchandeast.co.uk/Sealand%20update%204.html |archive-date=4 March 2014 |website=Church and East |publisher=}}

= Attempted sales =

In January 2007, The Pirate Bay, an online index of digital content of entertainment media and software founded by the Swedish think tank {{lang|sv|Piratbyrån|italic=no}}, attempted to purchase Sealand after harsher copyright measures in Sweden forced them to look for a base of operations elsewhere.{{cite news |last=Graham |first=Flora |date=16 February 2009 |title=Technology: How The Pirate Bay sailed into infamy |work=BBC News |publisher=BBC |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7893223.stm |access-date=16 February 2009 |archive-date=19 April 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090419012716/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7893223.stm |url-status=live }} Between 2007 and 2010, Sealand was offered for sale through the Spanish estate company InmoNaranja,{{Cite news |date=2007-01-08 |title=Tiny North Sea tax haven for sale |language=en-AU |work=ABC News |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |agency=Agence France-Presse |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2007-01-08/tiny-north-sea-tax-haven-for-sale/2168134 |access-date=4 September 2023 |archive-date=4 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230904014537/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2007-01-08/tiny-north-sea-tax-haven-for-sale/2168134 |url-status=live }} at an asking price of €750 million (£600 million, US$906 million), (approximately £985,000,000 in 2024).{{Cite web |date=2007-01-06 |title=£65m price tag for Sealand tenancy |url=https://www.ipswichstar.co.uk/news/21954179.65m-price-tag-sealand-tenancy/ |website=Ipswich Star |language=en |access-date=4 September 2023 |archive-date=4 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230904014537/https://www.ipswichstar.co.uk/news/21954179.65m-price-tag-sealand-tenancy/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=2007-01-08 |title=For sale: world's smallest country |url=https://www.smh.com.au/world/for-sale-worlds-smallest-country-20070108-gdp74y.html |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |language=en |agency=Agence France-Presse |access-date=4 September 2023 |archive-date=19 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240819195821/https://www.smh.com.au/world/for-sale-worlds-smallest-country-20070108-gdp74y.html |url-status=live }}{{cite news |date=8 January 2007 |title='Smallest state' seeks new owners |work=BBC News |publisher=BBC |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/6239967.stm |df=dmy-all |access-date=8 January 2007 |archive-date=10 January 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070110081146/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/6239967.stm |url-status=live }}

= Death of founder =

Roy Bates died at the age of 91 on 9 October 2012 after a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease several years earlier.{{Cite web |date=2013-01-18 |title=Roy Bates, self-proclaimed prince who turned wartime fort into 'natio… |url=http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Bates+selfproclaimed+prince+turned+wartime+fort+into+nation+Sealand/7368653/story.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130118175115/http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Bates+selfproclaimed+prince+turned+wartime+fort+into+nation+Sealand/7368653/story.html |archive-date=18 January 2013 |access-date=2024-07-05 |website=Calgary Herald}} His son Michael took over the operation of Sealand,{{Cite web |last=Braun |first=Adee |date=30 August 2013 |title=From the Sea, Freedom |url=https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/roundtable/sea-freedom |access-date=1 November 2021 |work=Lapham's Quarterly |quote=Roy Bates died in 2012, and was succeeded by Prince Michael... |archive-date=1 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211101164501/https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/roundtable/sea-freedom |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Alexander |first=Michael |date=Aug 2, 2013 |title=Prince Roy of Sealand Memorial Coin Launched |url=http://news.coinupdate.com/prince-roy-of-sealand-memorial-coin-launched-2096/ |website=Coin Update |quote=Prince Roy was succeeded by his only son, the Prince Regent – now Sovereign Prince Michael... |access-date=1 November 2021 |archive-date=1 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211101164453/http://news.coinupdate.com/prince-roy-of-sealand-memorial-coin-launched-2096/ |url-status=live }} although he continued to live in Suffolk,{{cite book |last1=Ryan |first1=John |title=Micronations |title-link=Micronations: The Lonely Planet Guide to Home-Made Nations |last2=Dunford |first2=George |last3=Sellars |first3=Simon |publisher=Lonely Planet |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-74104-730-1 |page=9–12}} where he and his sons were operating a family fishing business called Fruits of the Sea.{{Cite web |last=Milmo |first=Cahal |date=2016-03-19 |title=Sealand's Prince Michael on the future of an off-shore 'outpost of liberty' |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/sealand-prince-michael-on-the-future-of-an-offshore-outpost-of-liberty-a6940201.html |website=The Independent |language=en |access-date=4 September 2023 |archive-date=12 May 2022 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220512/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/sealand-prince-michael-on-the-future-of-an-off-shore-outpost-of-liberty-a6940201.html |url-status=live }} Joan Bates, Roy Bates's wife, died in an Essex nursing home at the age of 86 on 10 March 2016.{{Cite web |last=Milmo |first=Cahal |date=2016-03-14 |title='Princess Joan of Sealand' has died aged 86 |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/joan-bates-dead-princess-of-sealand-dies-aged-86-a6931106.html |website=The Independent |language=en |access-date=13 June 2020 |archive-date=30 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210430050304/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/joan-bates-dead-princess-of-sealand-dies-aged-86-a6931106.html |url-status=live }}

Legal status

File:Map of Sealand with territorial waters.svg

In 1987, the UK extended its territorial waters from {{convert|3|to|12|nmi|km|0}}, bringing Sealand into British territorial waters.{{cite news |last=Ward |first=Mark |date=5 June 2000 |title=Offshore and offline? |work=BBC News |publisher=BBC |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/778267.stm |access-date=22 March 2009 |archive-date=22 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090222175031/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/778267.stm |url-status=live }} In the opinion of law academic John Gibson, there is little chance that Sealand would be recognised as a nation due to it being a man-made structure.

In 2008, the Guinness World Records recognised Sealand as "the smallest area to lay claim to nation status".{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldre000guin/page/131 |title=Guinness World Records 2008 |publisher=Guinness World Records |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-904994-18-3 |page=131 |url-access=registration}}

= Recognition =

Sealand is not officially recognised by any established sovereign state. Nonetheless, the Sealand government claims it has been de facto recognised by the United Kingdom and Germany, on account of a UK court ruling and Germany's dispatch of a diplomat to Sealand.

Administration

File:Principe di Sealand.jpg

File:Princeofsealandfamilytree.png

Irrespective of its legal status, Sealand is managed by the Bates family as if it were a recognised sovereign entity and they are its hereditary royal rulers. Roy Bates styled himself as Prince Roy and his wife Princess Joan. Their son had been referred to as the Prince Regent by the Bates family between 1999 and Roy's death in 2012.{{cite web |url=http://www.sealandnews.com/the-royal-family/ |title=Information on Sealand's royal family |access-date=13 November 2007 |publisher=Sealand News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071112121051/http://www.sealandnews.com/the-royal-family/ |archive-date=12 November 2007 |url-status=dead}} In this role, he apparently served as Sealand's acting Head of State and also its Head of Government.{{cite book |last1=Ryan |first1=John |title=Micronations |title-link=Micronations: The Lonely Planet Guide to Home-Made Nations |last2=Dunford |first2=George |last3=Sellars |first3=Simon |publisher=Lonely Planet |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-74104-730-1 |page=8}}

At a micronations conference hosted by the University of Sunderland in 2004, Sealand was represented by Michael Bates's son James. The facility is now occupied by one or more caretakers representing Michael Bates, who himself resides in Essex, England.

Business operations

Sealand has been involved in several commercial operations, including the issuing of coins and postage stamps and the establishment of an offshore Internet hosting facility, or data haven.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.economist.com/node/471742 |title=Stop signs on the web; The battle between freedom and regulation on the Internet |magazine=The Economist |date=13 January 2001 |page=1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106220031/http://www.economist.com/node/471742 |archive-date=6 November 2015 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last=Grimmelmann |first=James |url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/03/sealand-and-havenco/ |title=Death of a data haven: cypherpunks, WikiLeaks, and the world's smallest nation |date=27 March 2012 |work=Ars Technica |url-status=live |archive-date=18 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018022757/http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/03/sealand-and-havenco/}} The principality also sells noble titles on its online store, such as Lord and Baron. Some notable individuals who possess or have possessed titles from Sealand include Ed Sheeran, Terry Wogan and Ben Fogle.{{Cite news |date=2012-12-23 |title=Ed Sheeran becomes a 'baron of Sealand' |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-20831502 |url-status=live |access-date=2023-08-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230311030840/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-20831502 |archive-date=2023-03-11}}

In 2000, publicity was created about Sealand following the establishment of a new entity called HavenCo, a data haven, which effectively took control of Roughs Tower itself. Ryan Lackey, Haven's co-founder and a key participant in the country, left HavenCo under acrimonious circumstances in 2002, citing disagreements with the Bates family over management of the company. The HavenCo website went offline in 2008.{{cite news |last=Stackpole |first=Thomas |date=Aug 21, 2013 |title=The World's Most Notorious Micronation Has the Secret to Protecting Your Data From the NSA |url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/08/sealand-havenco-data-haven-pirate |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190222213007/https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/08/sealand-havenco-data-haven-pirate/ |archive-date=22 February 2019 |access-date=2014-02-17 |work=Mother Jones |location=San Francisco}}

Sports

File:Sealand football.jpg with the Bates family]]

Sealand is nominal home to multiple sports teams, including an association football team{{Cite news |last=Hurrey |first=Adam |date=2023-04-07 |title=Sealand: The national football team from a country half the size of a football pitch |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/4368448/2023/04/02/sealand-the-national-football-team-from-a-country-half-the-size-of-a-football-pitch/ |access-date=2025-03-19 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} and an American football club.{{Cite web |date=2022-11-07 |title=The Red Bulletin UK 12/22 by Red Bull Media House |url=https://issuu.com/redbulletin.com/docs/1222_uk_lowres |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221222154157/https://issuu.com/redbulletin.com/docs/1222_uk_lowres |archive-date=2022-12-22 |access-date=2025-03-19 |website=issuu.com |page=18 |language=en}}

Sealand's national association football team was founded in 2003, initially being a team from Vestbjerg representing the micronation. In 2009, the team was revised with Neil Forsyth as manager. Following Forsynth, the team has been managed by Julian Dicks and Ed Stubbs.

The micronation's American football club, known as the Sealand Seahawks, was founded in 2021 by husband-and-wife Mike and Nia Ireland.{{Cite web |last=Meehan |first=Abbie |date=2024-07-19 |title='I'm a woman who plays American football – I always get asked the same question' |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/other-sports/american-sports/women-american-football-nfl-33257464 |access-date=2025-03-19 |website=The Mirror |language=en}} As of 2022, the club had men's, women's, and masters (players over 35) teams, and had over 200 players and staff.

The national flag of Sealand has been carried by mountaineers to the peaks of Muztagh Ata{{cite web |url=http://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_files/docs/hansards/han/legislature_27/session_2/20091124_1930_01_han.pdf#page=5 |title=Bill 50: Electric Statutes Amendment Act, 2009 |work=Alberta Hansard |date=24 November 2009 |page=2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130926085725/http://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_files/docs/hansards/han/legislature_27/session_2/20091124_1930_01_han.pdf |archive-date=26 September 2013 |url-status=live |editor-first=Kenneth R. |editor-last=Kowalski |publisher=Province of Alberta |location=Edmonton, Canada |issue=63e |format=PDF |issn=0383-3623}} and Mount Everest.{{Cite web |last=Rathod |first=Shreya |date=2023-05-26 |title=Kenton Cool Becomes The 1st Non-Nepali Mountaineer To Climb Mt Everest 17 Times! |url=https://curlytales.com/kenton-cool-becomes-the-1st-non-nepali-mountaineer-to-climb-mt-everest-17-times/ |access-date=2025-03-19 |website=Curly Tales |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=The bizarre history of Sealand, the independent micronation on a platform off the English coast |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-sealand-2015-9 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624195309/https://www.businessinsider.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-sealand-2015-9 |archive-date=24 June 2021 |access-date=20 November 2020 |website=Business Insider}} Additionally, athletes have represented Sealand in international kung fu{{cite web|url=http://www.lechinois.ca/agenda/programme%20souvenir2007.pdf |title=Program Souvenir Legal |access-date=17 July 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080627061925/http://www.lechinois.ca/agenda/programme%20souvenir2007.pdf |archive-date=27 June 2008 |url-status=dead }} and ultimate{{Cite web |title=Principality of Sealand 2010 Review |url=https://glasgowultimate.co.uk/principality-of-sealand-2010-review/ |access-date=2025-03-19 |website=Glasgow Ultimate |language=en-GB}} competitions.

Sealand itself has also been the site of skateboarding{{Cite web |date=2023-07-27 |title=Check Out This Weird, Old Red Bull Skateboarding Video |url=https://doseskateboarding.com/articles/check-out-weird-old-red-bull-skateboarding-video |access-date=2025-03-19 |website=doseskateboarding.com}} and a single-person half marathon.{{Cite news |last=Messenger |first=Simon |date=2015-09-11 |title=How I ran a half marathon on Sealand, the fortress 'nation' in the middle of the sea |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-running-blog/2015/sep/11/how-i-ran-a-half-marathon-on-sealand-the-fortress-nation-in-the-middle-of-the-sea |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612162515/https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-running-blog/2015/sep/11/how-i-ran-a-half-marathon-on-sealand-the-fortress-nation-in-the-middle-of-the-sea |archive-date=2018-06-12 |access-date=2025-03-19 |work=The Guardian |issn=0261-3077}} Richard Royal swam from Sealand to the British mainland in 2018, being recognized by the British Long Distance Swimming Association, the World Open Water Swimming Association, and Guinness World Records in doing so.{{Cite web |date=2021-10-11 |title=Swim Recognition Database |url=https://bldsa.org.uk/swim/swim-recognition/swim-recognition-database/ |access-date=2025-03-19 |website=The British Long Distance Swimming Association }}{{Cite web |title=Fastest time to swim from Sealand to UK Mainland |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/657542-fastest-time-to-swim-from-sealand-to-uk-mainland-wowsa |website=Guinness World Records}}