Leonard George Casley (28 August 1925 – 13 February 2019), better known as Prince Leonard, was the founder of the self-proclaimed

micronation A micronation is a political entity whose members claim that they belong to an independent nation or sovereign state, but which lacks legal recognition by world governments or major international organizations. Micronations are classified ...

, the

Principality of Hutt River The Principality of Hutt River, often referred to by its former name, the Hutt River Province, was a micronation in Australia. The principality claimed to be an independent sovereign state, founded on 21 April 1970. It was dissolved on 3 Augus ...

, within the Australian state of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. He governed Hutt River from 21 April 1970 until his abdication in February 2017, at a coronation ceremony that placed his son Prince Graeme on the throne. Having pursued a number of occupations, Casley eventually settled on farming, purchasing a large

wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...

farm near the towns of Northampton and

Geraldton Geraldton ( Wajarri: ''Jambinu'', Wilunyu: ''Jambinbirri'') is a coastal city in the Mid West region of the Australian state of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth. At June 2018, Geraldton had an urban population of 37,648. ...

in the 1960s where he came to own . In 1970, he declared independence and founded Hutt River Province in response to a dispute with the Government of Western Australia over what the Casley family considered draconian wheat

production quota A production quota is a goal for the production of a good. It is typically set by a government or an organization, and can be applied to an individual worker, firm, industry or country. Quotas can be set high to encourage production, or can be u ...

s. "His Royal Highness Prince Leonard I of Hutt" was the style used by Casley from the creation of the Principality until his death.

Early life

Prince Leonard was born in

Kalgoorlie, Western Australia Kalgoorlie is a city in the Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia, located east-northeast of Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway. It is sometimes referred to as Kalgoorlie–Boulder, as the surrounding urban area include ...

to George William Casley, who worked on the railways, and Enes (née Hunter). Growing up alongside younger brother Mervyn, Casley was a high school dropout who left his education during his childhood when he was studying in sixth standard.

Career

Casley worked for a shipping company based in Perth. Although he left school at fourteen he described himself as a mathematician and physicist; he also claimed to have written articles for

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...

Military service

Casley served in the

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

(RAAF) between 1943 and 1946, including in

Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and ea ...

Hutt River Province

In 1969, established what he called the Hutt River Province in protest at quotas being placed on wheat. He declared independence on 21 April 1970. He created its own flag and tax system governed by laws which were enacted by his self-declared government consisting five ministers. Leonard sought to evade paying Australian taxes, and was found to owe $3 million in income tax in 2017. As part of this tax case, he sought to justify his position on the basis of the pseudolegal

Strawman theory The strawman theory (also called the strawman illusion) is a pseudolaw, pseudolegal conspiracy theory originating in the redemption movement, redemption/A4V movement and prevalent in Anti-statism, antigovernment and tax protester movements such a ...

. Although Casley created stamps, micronation

currency A currency, "in circulation", from la, currens, -entis, literally meaning "running" or "traversing" is a standardization of money in any form, in use or circulation as a medium of exchange, for example banknotes and coins. A more general ...

(Hutt River Dollar), visas, and

passports A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that contains a person's identity. A person with a passport can travel to and from foreign countries more easily and access consular assistance. A passport certifies the personal ...

for his

sovereign state A sovereign state or sovereign country, is a political entity represented by one central government that has supreme legitimate authority over territory. International law defines sovereign states as having a permanent population, defined te ...

, the federal Government of Australia never officially recognised Hutt River as an official and independent nation, and later, it became a well-known tourist attraction in Australia.

Abdication

In January 2017, Prince Leonard announced that, after ruling for 45 years, he would be stepping down as prince, to be succeeded by his youngest son, Graeme. With a number of potential sons and daughters, the successor was nominated by Casley and approved by a crown committee. Some commentary at the time had expected his older son, Ian, to be the successor. In June 2017, Casley was ordered by the Supreme Court of Western Australia to pay $2.7 million unpaid tax.

Personal life

Casley was married to Shirley (née Butler) until her death on 7 July 2013, when the Principality went into a period of mourning, closing some of its services. She was styled as "Her Royal Highness Princess Shirley of Hutt, Dame of the

Rose of Sharon Rose of Sharon is a name that has been applied to several different species of flowering plants that are valued in different parts of the world. It is also a biblical expression, though the identity of the plant referred to is unclear and is dis ...

", and she played host to dignitaries and diplomatic representatives visiting the Principality each year,Rewards for Rebellion: Tiny Nation and Crown for Life
''The New York Times'' 1 February 2011 as well as receiving television crews and magazine journalists. She was the patroness and chair of the board of directors of the Red Cross of Hutt, a parallel organisation to the International Red Cross. As an adherent of

hermeticism Hermeticism, or Hermetism, is a philosophical system that is primarily based on the purported teachings of Hermes Trismegistus (a legendary Hellenistic combination of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth). These teachings are containe ...

, Casley privately published a number of research papers and books on the subject. He is the subject of a permanent exhibit at the

National Museum of Australia The National Museum of Australia, in the national capital Canberra, preserves and interprets Australia's social history, exploring the key issues, people and events that have shaped the nation. It was formally established by the ''National Muse ...

in Canberra."The Mouse that Roared"
ABC News, 18 April 2010

Death

Casley died two years after abdicating the throne of Hutt River, on 13 February 2019, at the age of ninety-three. His principality outlived him by 18 months and was dissolved on 3 August 2020.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Casley, Leonard 1925 births 2019 deaths Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II Hermeticists Monarchs who abdicated Monarchy in Australia Micronational leaders People from Kalgoorlie Princes Royal Australian Air Force airmen Self-proclaimed monarchy