The world's smallest country with its own Royal family and currency is just seven miles off the coast of England. The "micronation" holds the Guinness World Record for being the "smallest area to lay claim to nation status."
The Principality of Sealand is located in the North Sea just off the coast of England. It was created in 1967 by Paddy Roy Bates, who declared it an independent nation after he and his family took over a disused Navy fort near HM Fort Roughs.
Bates, also known as Prince Roy, and his wife Joan, known as Princess, set up a hereditary monarchy. They even introduced a constitution for Sealand, followed by a national flag, a national anthem, a currency, passports, and an immigration stamp.
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The story began when Bates was a soldier during World War II and eventually rose to the rank of major. He served in many important campaigns and after the war, settled into a veteran's life - and a world of pirate radio.
He remembered the dozens of old sea forts that were meant to defend Britain against the Nazis but were soon forgotten when the Allies won. One day, he decided to sail out to the many that sit off the coast of East England, near Suffolk, and set up a few pirate radio stations, reports The Daily Star.
He found Roughs Tower but soon ran into trouble with the Government. "I was probably about 12 when I first saw one of these seaforts," the late Paddy's son, Prince Michael told the Daily Express.
"We were out on his fishing boat and he said he wanted to go and have a look. We sailed over and he climbed up the ladder, and I kept asking, 'Can I come up? ' He wouldn't let me at first but after a while he did. There was all sorts on it, lots of bird poo, but also an old workbench, and even live ammunition."
This was Sealand. Paddy spoke to his lawyers and they told him his best chance at holding onto the fort was claiming independence. In 1967, that's exactly what he did, and so came into existence the Principality of Sealand.
But it soon faced invading forces when a rival pirate radio station operator attempted to storm Sealand with a small group of men. Paddy responded with petrol bombs and guns, and the scuffle alerted the Royal Navy which sent a patrol boat out.
When the boat entered Sealand's claimed territorial waters, a young Michael fired warning shots. He and his dad were arrested, but when the court threw the case out after ruling it fell outside its jurisdictions, Paddy sensed a victory.
In rejecting the case, he said, the UK de facto recognized Sealand as a state. The next disturbance came in 1978. Paddy and his wife Joan, had been invited to Austria by Alexander Achenbach to discuss the sale of Sealand.
Unknown to them, Achenbach had hired a group of German and Dutch mercenaries to lead an attack on the principality and take it for himself. Michael, who was 26 at the time, was taken hostage.
He was tied up and sent back to the UK on a boat. A plan called Operation Trident was made. People who had become residents in Sealand were asked to help. In a brave mission at dawn, Michael took back Sealand with a helicopter and caught the mercenaries.
The governments of the Netherlands and Germany asked for the men to be let go. A diplomat from Germany even came to Sealand to ask for Achenbach to be let go. For Paddy, this was another sign that Sealand was seen as a real place by other countries.
People from all over the world love the story of Sealand, seeing it as a story about standing up to powerful people and nations. A quirk of the country is anyone can become a noble person in Sealand, provided they pay a price.
You can become a Baron or Baroness (£39. 99), a Lord or Lady (£19. 99), a Sir or Dame (£99. 99), a Count or Countess (£199. 99), or if you have £499. 99, a Duke or Duchess. In 2012, Ed Sheeran availed of this system and became Baron von Edward Sheeran of Sealand.
Michael now lives a normal life in Westcliffe-on-Sea. He doesn't plan to take over any countries, but the noble titles sell helps keep Sealand running.
The 71-year-old, who doesn't visit as much these days, shared: "I don't really miss it. I was out there for years putting it together. But it's nice to go out there now and again, especially with my sons."
His sons, Prince Liam, and Prince James, are the ones looking after Sealand now. Nowadays, only a couple of people live in Sealand all the time, while others come for visits.
Flags from Sealand are flying high on four of the biggest mountains in the world, even Mount Everest, showing how the self-proclaimed nation has caught the broader imagination.
Sealand is hailed for its green advocacy. The bulk of the "nation's" energy comes from the wind and sun, and they get their water from the rain.
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