Paddy Roy Bates

Bates retired and lived in England during his later life. His son Michael was then in charge of the administration of Sealand as "Prince Regent", although he lived on the British mainland. On 9 October 2012, Paddy Bates died quietly at a care home in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex after having had Alzheimer's for several years. His funeral took place at Southend-on-Sea Crematorium.

He was survived by his wife Joan and their children, son Michael and daughter Penny. Michael reacted to his father's death by recalling him as a "huge, huge character". "I might die young or I might die old, but I will never die of boredom", Bates said in a 1980s interview.

In 1978, a German businessman, Alexander Achenbach along with other Germans and Dutch, invaded Sealand and took Bates's son, Michael, hostage. Bates and others then launched a counterattack in the early hours of the morning to recapture the fort. He held the German and Dutch men as prisoners of war. As one had accepted a Sealand Passport, he was held and convicted of treason while the rest were released. Germany then sent a diplomat to Britain to ask for intervention but Britain claimed they did not have jurisdiction. Germany then sent a diplomat to Sealand directly to negotiate the release of the prisoner. He was released, and the act of diplomatic negotiation was claimed by Roy Bates to be de facto recognition of Sealand, which Germany has denied.

On 14 August 1967, the Marine Broadcasting Offences Act of 1967 came into effect which forbade broadcasting from certain marine structures, namely platforms such as Bates's. 19 days later, on 2 September 1967, Bates declared the independence of Roughs Tower and deemed it the Principality of Sealand.

The station changed its name in October 1966 to Britain's Better Music Station (BBMS) after Bates had been convicted of violating Section One of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949. Bates was then fined £100 for his continued illegal broadcasting. Due to insufficient funds, BBMS went off the air on Christmas Day in 1966.

He then moved into broadcasting via a pirate radio. In 1965, he ousted the pirate station Radio City staff who had occupied Knock John Tower, a Maunsell Sea Fort (a World War II British naval defence platform).

Using the military equipment that was left on the platform, Bates used an old United States Air Force radio beacon to broadcast his station. From Knock John Tower, he ran Radio Essex from 1965 to 1966 and succeeded in becoming the first pirate radio station to provide 24-hour entertainment.

Patrick Roy Bates (29 August 1921 – 9 October 2012), also known as Prince Roy of Sealand, was a British pirate radio broadcaster and micronationalist, who founded the Principality of Sealand. He was a major in the British Army during World War II.

Bates was born in Ealing, London in 1921. He served in the British Army, rising to the rank of major, and was injured several times. He served in the Battle of Monte Cassino in the Italian campaign, and had been with the Eighth Army in North Africa. He then became a fisherman.