Michael I, Prince of Sealand

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His Royal Highness
Prince Michael
Prince of Sealand
Michael I, holding the 'Holding the Fort' biography about Sealand, circa 2015
2nd Prince of Sealand
Reign9 October 2012 - Present
Preceded byPrince Roy I
Born2 August 1952 (1952-08-02) (age 71)
PrincessPrincess Mei Shi

Prince Michael I (born as Michael Roy Bates; 2 August 1952) is a businessman and self-published author who is currently the Head of state of Sealand.

Early life

Michael Bates was born to Prince Patrick and Princess Joan Bates on 2 August 1952. On 24 December 1966, at the age of 14, Michael joined his father Roy in occupying HM Fort Roughs. On 2 September 1967, Prince Patrick "Roy" and his family moved to Sealand.

Battle to retake Sealand

In August 1978, Alexander Achenbach, who described himself as the Prime Minister of Sealand hired German and Dutch mercenaries to take over Sealand after some disputes with Prince Patrick, who was with his wife in England at the time, and they took Michael hostage. Michael was eventually able to retake Sealand and capture Achenbach and the mercenaries using weapons stashed on the platform.

Reign

After his father's death in 2012, Michael took over as the Prince of Sealand, and is currently the reigning monarch as of 2023.

Under his reign, a new website for Sealand was created and the principality became more active from 2022.