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King for a day, or longer... - 26 January 2007

The tide may be turning. The usual way of things is for the pink-faced masses to head to the Spanish Costas and buy up just about every square foot of land with a sea view. Now there is the possibility of a small (former) part of the UK being owned by a foreigner, and on top of that they will be able to declare themselves a Prince or Princess.

New onto the property market is Sealand, an independent Principality six miles from the UK coast in the North Sea, founded in 1967 amid the guiding principle of freedom from what the first residents referred to as the ‘oppression’ of modern states. This is no joke or token effort. Passports, stamps and a currency have all been introduced since 1969.

Times change however, and through some hard times and setbacks for the ruling family, there is now a need for significant inward investment in the country. And to help them achieve this, the current proprietors have secured the services of Spanish property broker Inmo Naranja to help secure the investment needed. It is explicitly stated that Sealand is not for sale, as it is impossible under international law to purchase a principality. However, a lease is on offer.

The principality was sited on Roughs Tower, an island fortress constructed during World War II and subsequently abandoned to the high seas. The independence of Sealand was upheld in the UK courts in 1968, where the ruling asserted the right of Sealand to be recognised as an independent state, and not falling under the jurisdiction of the UK.

Although not huge in size compared with many other overseas property estates, not many French chateaux, Costa villas or even Texan ranches can boast 40 years of history in international affairs. Even though it is only about 3,300 square metres in area, there have been numerous international incidents involving Sealand, including one attempted invasion and a kidnapping. The invaders were repelled, captured and held on the fort until international negotiations secured their release. That same incident saw the Prince Regent kidnapped by the forces attempting a coup. Another scandal saw someone trying to sell fake Sealand passports around the world – there are in fact only around 300 in existence, all of which have been granted to those who have aided the development of Sealand in the past.

If you are not keen on the full responsibility of controlling the whole of Sealand, but would still like to get a piece of the action, there is another option. A royally-approved official title can be bought from the internet, with all proceeds going toward the upkeep of the nation-state. Yes, you could become a Lord, Lady, Baron or Baroness of Sealand for as little as £30.

Interested parties will want to make sure their wallets are full before making the trip to inspect Sealand as a potential purchase, though it is believed that payment does not necessarily have to be made in Sealand Dollars. With a price tag of between £65,000,000 and £504,000,000 there is only a small pool of potential owners in the world. On the other hand, hopping across the sea to your own principality for the weekend is probably the ultimate in overseas bolt-holes.

Further information is available at: http://www.inmobiliarianaranja.es/sealand.html

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