Emperor interviewed for French newspaper

Emperor Jonathan I and photographer Manuel prepare for a photo-shoot in Wrythe Public Park.

A journalist and photographer were welcomed to Wrythe this afternoon by Emperor Jonathan I to interview him for an article to be published in French newspaper Libération.

Jonathan I and his fiancée Princess Hannah welcomed journalist Sonia and photographer Manuel to the Imperial Residence earlier this afternoon.

The interview mainly revolved around Austenasia’s history and the role of the Emperor in the life of the nation.

After the interview, photographs were taken in the Imperial Residence and Wrythe Public Park of His Imperial Majesty for the article.

The article will be published at some point over July or August.

Libération was founded in 1973, and is one of the most popular daily newspapers in France.

First tourist visit to Austenasia

Jonny Blair with his well-travelled flag of Northern Ireland outside the Imperial Residence.

Austenasia hosted its first ever tourist this morning.

Jonny Blair, a travel writer, visited Wrythe to write an entry for his journey blog “Don’t Stop Living“. He was given a guided tour of Wrythe by Emperor Jonathan I, met the Emperor Mother and Crown Princess, and spoke with the Emperor about Austenasia and other small states around the world.

After tea and biscuits in Wrythe and posing for some photographs with his own Northern Irish flag (which has been to over ninety countries), Mr. Blair went with the Emperor to be given a guided tour of the nearby nation of Orly.

After looking around Orly and hearing about its history and government, Mr. Blair was accompanied by the Emperor to Carshalton train station, from where he departed.

Mr. Blair’s visit raised the matter of the Empire acquiring physical items which in future could be sold or presented to tourists – postcards, fridge magnets and the like – as well as a passport stamp for when they cross the border.

Austenasia featured in Sutton Guardian for a fourth time

The newspaper article on the cession of the Zone.

The Sutton Guardian has run an article on the Empire of Austenasia for the fourth time since 2009.

The article, printed on the fifth page of the weekly free newspaper delivered throughout the London Borough of Sutton, was published in response to the recent cession of the Zone to Renasia. A more detailed version of the article has been uploaded to the Sutton Guardian website.

The article printed in the newspaper contains a large photograph of His Imperial Majesty Emperor Jonathan I, and a smaller one of the Zone, the area in Poulter Park which was ceded to Renasia last month.

Unfortunately, there were some slight factual inaccuracies in the printed edition. The paper stated that Austenasia declared independence in 2009 rather than 2008, and that the Empire is comprised of 11 rather than 17 pieces of land. The headline also referred to Renasia as a “rival”, but did correctly state in the article that it enjoys good diplomatic relations with the Empire.

This is the fourth time Austenasia has featured in the Sutton Guardian; previous articles on the Empire were published in January 2009, September 2011, and February 2013.

 

 

 

 

The Emperor speaks at event on independence

Speakers at the event being introduced (Emperor Jonathan I seated, second from left).

Emperor Jonathan I yesterday spoke about the Empire’s independence at an event at Wilton’s Music Hall in Tower Hamlets, London.

The event, entitled “This state of independence shall be…”, was part of the “Change for a tenner!” week-long festival celebrating social change, run by the London International Festival of Theatre.

His Imperial Majesty spoke to an audience of roughly 60 alongside representatives of the NSK State, Kemetia, Christiania, and Elgaland-Vargaland, all of which are independence movements of varying kinds.

The Emperor gave a 5-minute long overview of the history and structure of the Empire, then fielded questions on several topics, including the prominence of women in the Austenasian government and the expectations of the now Imperial Family when they declared independence.

 

Coronation covered by British newspaper

His Imperial Majesty Jonathan I was featured on the front page of this week’s Sutton Guardian with the caption “Meet the Emperor: Micronation crowns new leader”.

The Sutton Guardian, a widely read local newspaper delivered free throughout the London Borough of Sutton, published an article on page 5 on the recent coronation of Emperor Jonathan I, which was held on Saturday 23rd February and attended by various dignitaries.

This is the third time that Austenasia has had an article in a local newspaper. The first time was in January 2009 when an article was run on the Empire’s foundation, and the second in September 2011 on the occasion of the third anniversary of its founding.

The article, with the headline “All hail Emperor Jonathan”, includes a photograph of the Emperor with four of his guests. The article itself goes into some detail on Austenasia, its recent history, and the coronation.

This most recent article has sparked widespread interest in the Empire, with several Honorary Subjects applying and the Emperor and Crown Princess being asked numerous questions about Austenasia by their classmates.

Austenasia featured in published book

This morning, a parcel arrived at the Imperial Residence.

Inside the parcel was a copy of The Gentleman’s Bedside Companion by Tom Cutler, a book published last year which describes itself as “a bracing collection of information, humour and curiosity”. The book had been ordered online, as just under a year ago a user named Unscintillating added it as a reference supporting Austenasia’s place on Wikipedia.

Sure enough, upon recieving the book, the Imperial Family has found it to include a short entry on the Empire in a list of other “micronations”. It briefly explains that Austenasia was founded in 2008, has three territories, and a national anthem based on God Save the Queen. Despite incorrectly describing Glencrannog (the square foot of land in Scotland acquired by the government in February 2009) as a “nearby house” – presumably mistaking it with Zephyria – being featured in this book is certainly a great achievement for the Empire.

The Gentleman’s Bedside Companion is thought to be the first widely published book containing descriptions of individual micronations since Micronations: The Lonely Planet Guide to Home-Made Nations was published in 2006.

The book, in which Austenasia can be found on page 218, can be ordered online by following this link.