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Joan Bates

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Joan Bates
Portrait photograph of Bates
Bates in the 1970s
Born
Joan Collins

(1929-09-02)2 September 1929
Aldershot, Hampshire, UK
Died10 March 2016(2016-03-10) (aged 86)
Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, UK
TitlePrincess consort of Sealand
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1949; died 2012)​
Children
Parents
  • Albert Collins (father)
  • Elizabeth Collins (mother)

Joan Bates (née Collins; 2 September 1929 – 10 March 2016), also known as Princess Joan of Sealand, was the wife of Paddy Roy Bates, a British entrepreneur who founded the self-proclaimed micronation known as the Principality of Sealand.

Early life

Bates was born Joan Collins on 2 September 1929 at Aldershot in England, the daughter of RSM Albert Collins of the Royal Horse Artillery, and his wife, Elizabeth.[1][2] The family were later stationed at Shoebury Barracks.

As a young woman, Joan was a carnival queen and model who,[1] according to her son Michael, "modelled for all sorts of companies".[3]

Marriage

Joan met British Army major Paddy Roy Bates at the Kursaal dance hall in Southend-on-Sea. At the time he was recuperating from serious burns suffered during World War II. They married three months later in 1949[1][4][5] at the Caxton Hall Registry Office in London.[2] They had two children, Penelope "Penny" and Michael.[3][6]

Sealand

In the 1960s, Roy and Joan launched a pirate radio station and on Joan's birthday on 2 September 1967, they declared the Principality of Sealand independent, appointing themselves Prince Roy and Princess Joan,[4] thus making Joan the "self-proclaimed ruler of the world's smallest kingdom".[7]

Death

Bates died on 10 March 2016 at a Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, nursing home, following a long illness.[3] Her funeral was held on 17 March, with her coffin draped with the flag of Sealand. She was survived by her two children, four grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren.[2]

Bates featured on at least one postage stamp issued by the Principality, as well as coins inscribed "Princess Joan".[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c Joan Bates dead: Founder and 'princess' of Sealand dies aged 86. Cahal Milmo, The Independent, 14 March 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d Remembering Sealand’s First Sovereign Princess Joan, 1929-2016. Michael Alexander, Coin Update, 22 March 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  3. ^ a b c Joan Bates who raised her family on the principality of Sealand dies aged 86. Harwitch & Manningtree Standard, 16 March 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  4. ^ a b 'Princess' Joan of Sealand independent state dies at 86. BBC News, 14 March 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  5. ^ ‘Princess Joan of Sealand’: Former carnival queen who became Princess of Sealand after she and her husband Roy set up the 'micro-nation'. Martin Childs, The Independent, 15 March 2016. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  6. ^ MacEacheran, Mike. "Sealand: A peculiar 'nation' off England's coast". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  7. ^ First Princess of Sealand dies aged 86. Caroline Argyropulo-Palmer, The Times, 14 March 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2016. (subscription required)
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