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An American man has claimed a patch of land between Egypt and Sudan as a kingdom so his daughter, 7, can be a princess, the Associated Press reports.
Jeremiah Heaton, a father of three from Abingdon, Virginia, trekked across the Egyptian desert to a small, mountainous area called Bir Tawil. Neither Egypt nor Sudan has claimed it because of land disputes dating back more than 100 years.
There have been several online claims, but Heaton believes his journey to the site, where he planted a flag designed by his children, including "princess" Emily, means he can rightfully claim it.
"Over the winter, Emily and I were playing, and she has a fixation on princesses," Heaton said. "She asked me, in all seriousness, if she'd be a real princess someday, and I said she would."
Heaton got Egyptian government permission to travel through the country to Bir Tawil, which is among the last pieces of unclaimed land on the planet. In June, he made a 14-hour caravan journey through the desert before planting the flag of the Heaton kingdom.
"It's beautiful there," Heaton said. "It's an arid desert in northeastern Africa. Bedouins roam the area ― the population is actually zero."
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