Beehive Bites Sealand Talk A few miles out in the North Sea, perched on an old WWII anti-aircraft platform, sits one of the strangest places in Britain: the Principality of Sealand. Built in 1943 as HM Fort Roughs to help defend the Thames Estuary, the platform was abandoned by the military after the war. In 1967, former pirate radio broadcaster Paddy Roy Bates moved in and declared it an independent nation, complete with its own flag, currency, passports, and even a royal family. Sealand has never been recognised by the UK or the United Nations, but that hasn’t stopped it from developing a cult following. It has survived legal disputes, a 2006 fire, and decades of curiosity from journalists and micronation enthusiasts alike. Today it’s still “ruled” by the Bates family, making it one of the longest-running unofficial nations in the world. For a structure just off the same stretch of coast as our own Martello towers, Sealand is a reminder of how much history — and how many odd stories — the sea defences along this coastline still hold. Join us for a delve into the history of this fascinating micronation.

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