The big business of (mostly fake) nobility titles
If 23&Me has yet to reveal a long-lost royal relative, there are plenty of sites that promise to make you a Russian tsarina, a German count, or an Irish lord — all for a mere $10.
For a bit more, you can upgrade a loved one or your entire family, a popular gift for the Downton Abbey fan who has everything except noble blood.
Or, you could join Ed Sheeran and become a baron of Sealand — a WWII defense platform just off the coast of England. For $45, you’ll get a deed and documents about Sealand, and the ability to connect with fellow Sealand barons around the world.
“Our titles offer you the chance to be a part of the Sealand’s story and adventure, which is totally unique,” says “Prince” Liam Bates, the grandson of the pirate radio broadcaster who declared Sealand a nation in 1967.
The business of nobility titles — some more legit than others — is proliferating, with dozens of sites hawking titles, and deals everywhere you turn.
