Joan Bates
| Joan Bates | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
Joan Collins 2 September 1929 Aldershot Barracks, Hampshire, England |
| Died | 10 March 2016 (aged 86) Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, England |
| Title | "Princess of Sealand" |
| Term | 2 September 1967 – 10 March 2016 |
| Spouse(s) | Paddy Roy Bates |
| Children | Michael Bates Penelope "Penny" Bates |
| Parents |
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Joan Bates (2 September 1929 – 10 March 2016) was the co-founder, with her husband Paddy Roy Bates, of the Principality of Sealand of which they appointed themselves Prince Roy and Princess Joan.
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. The family were later stationed at Shoebury Barracks.
As a young woman, Joan was a carnival queen and model who, according to her son Michael, "modelled for all sorts of companies".
Joan met her future husband, a British Army major named Paddy Roy Bates, at the Kursaal dance hall in Southend-on-Sea, at a time when he was recuperating from serious burns suffered during World War II. They married three months later in 1949 at the Caxton Hall Registry Office in London. They had two children, Penelope "Penny" and Michael.
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, thus making Joan the "self-proclaimed ruler of the world's smallest kingdom".
Bates died on 10 March 2016 at a Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, nursing home, following a long illness. 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.
Bates featured on at least one postage stamp issued by the Principality, as well as coins inscribed "Princess Joan".
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