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WHEN a dad promised his seven-year-old daughter she would be a real princess, he wasn’t kidding.

Jeremiah Heaton travelled to a remote desert region of Africa to claim a disputed stretch of land in his daughter Emily’s name.

In a move that is either an inspiring display of paternal love or a case of major over-indulgence, Mr Heaton planted a flag in the unclaimed piece of land sandwiched between Egypt and Sudan after making a promise to Emily that she would one day be royalty.

After reaching the desert region of Bir Tawil in June, the father-of-three from Virginia planted a flag his children had designed, and made the first steps towards claiming the land.

On his return Mr Heaton and his wife made a crown for their daughter and asked friends and family to refer to her as Princess Emily.

Her kingdom covers about 1300km sq of desert that has never been claimed by Sudan or Egypt.

Mr Heaton found Bir Tawil, one of the last unclaimed pieces of land on the planet, after searching for how he could fulfil his promise to Emily.

Several attempts to claim ownership of the region have been made online, but Mr Heaton believes that by actually travelling to the site and planting the flag gave his claim an edge.

It took Mr Heaton 14 hours to travel by caravan through the desert before he could plant the flag, which has a blue background and a seal and stars representing the family.

He may have completed his journey in June, but it began at the start of the year when he was chatting to his young daughter.

“Over the winter, Emily and I were playing, and she has a fixation on princesses. She asked me, in all seriousness, if she’d be a real princess someday,” Heaton said. “And I said she would.”

Princess Emily, who sleeps in a custom-made castle bed, is showing signs of being a generous ruler, and said that she wants to ensure children in the region have enough food.

Shelia Carapico, professor of political science and international studies at the University of Richmond, said the family’s claim will need to be recognised by the other African nations.

She said it was not plausible for someone to plant a flag and say they have political control over the land without legal recognition from neighbouring countries, the United Nations or other groups.

In addition, she said, it is not known whether people have ownership of the land, regardless of whether the property is part of a political nation.