Normally a child would receive a tiara or beautiful heels to feel like a princess. For the not so normal kids, a dad from Virginia went to Africa and claimed 800 miles of “no man’s land” in order to make his daughter, Princess Emily.
On June 16, Jeremiah Heaton posted on Facebook about the long process of finding unclaimed land, support from the Egyptian government, and fulfilling his daughter’s 7th birthday wish of becoming a real princess. He posted this picture of message to Facebook:
“A Wish Granted”
Today, June 16, 2014, I planted this flag in the Eastern African region of Bir Tawil to honor a promise I made to my daughter.
Emily, like most little girls, has a dream to become a princess. While playing one day she stopped and posed a question, “Daddy, will I ever be a real princess?”. The only answer I could give my sweet little girl was “Yes, of course you will be a princess one day!”
As a father I do my very best to not make empty promises to my children. At the time I had no idea how I would honor her wish but I knew that I had to find a way.
After weeks of research I discovered Bir Tawil. This 795 sq mile trapezoid is a by product of a 113 year old border dispute between Egypt and Sudan. Amazingly, Bir Tawil is the very last piece of Earth unclaimed by any Nation or man.
Over the years a few arm-chair explorers have attempted to “claim” Bir Tawil by simply writing a blog entry or creating a website. These half-hearted, illegitimate claims have not been recognized by any government.
Today, with the full support of the Egyptian government, I traveled 14 hours through the open desert to reach Bir Tawil. Once in the Bir Tawil region, I planted a flag, designed by my children and made a physical claim on the land.
Therefore, so be it proclaimed on June 16, 2014, Emily’s 7th birthday, that Bir Tawil shall be forever known as the Kingdom of North Sudan. The Kingdom is established as a sovereign monarchy with myself as the head of state; with Emily becoming an actual Princess .
While the first part of Emily’s wish has been accomplished here today in East Africa, the second, and most important part involves each and everyone reading this.
I kindly request that when you see Emily, to address her by official title, Princess Emily. Each time she hears this title she will be reminded of my love and the lengths I will go to fulfill her every wish.
Thank you in advance for being a good sport in supporting my humble request of you.
Long live the Kingdom and the love it was founded upon.
Sincerely,
King Heaton
Wow. His next father’s day should be nothing less than spectacular.
[Photo credit: Facebook]
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