(PCM) 38-year old Jeremiah Heaton of Virginia recently posted on Facebook about how he wanted to make his 7-year old daughters dreams of becoming an actual princess come true. However, in this case it seems that the dream could actually come true!
Heaton discovered that the eastern African region of Bir Tawil, a 796-square-mile piece of land between Egypt and Sudan, was terra nullius or “no man’s land.” According to colonial-era law that mean that Heaton was able to claim the land as his own.
After receiving permission from the Egyptian government, he was able to travel to the land in time for his daughter’s birthday to lay an official claim on their “kingdom”. Heaton also went as far as to rename the land, so it is no longer Bir Tawil, but not called the The Kingdom of North Sudan and Heaton.
Heaton is now requesting that his family and friends refer to his daughter as Princess Emily and is calling himself King Heaton. (We have a feeling this is going to cause a few problems down the line…or a big ego!)
Heaton plans to use the land of his “kingdom” to advance agricultural technology for the surrounding areas. Also, Heaton still needs to receive legal recognition from Egypt, Sudan, the United Nations and other political groups.
