Joan Bates

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

Joan Bates
Born
Joan Collins

(1929-09-02)2 September 1929
Aldershot Barracks, Hampshire, England
Died10 March 2016(2016-03-10) (aged 86)
Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, England
Term2 September 1967 – 10 March 2016
Spouse(s)Paddy Roy Bates
ChildrenMichael Bates
Penelope "Penny" Bates
Parents
  • Albert Collins (father)
  • Elizabeth Collins (mother)

Early life

Joan Bates was born Joan Collins on 2 September 1929 at Aldershot Barracks, 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]

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".[6]

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. Joan Bates dead: Founder and 'princess' of Sealand dies aged 86. Cahal Milmo, The Independent, 14 March 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  2. Remembering Sealand’s First Sovereign Princess Joan, 1929-2016. Michael Alexander, Coin Update, 22 March 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  3. 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. '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. 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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