The recent volcanic activity on nearby Montserrat hasn't damped royal enthusiasm for the island of Redonda, a big rock off the Montserrat coast that has been claimed by various "kings" since the 1920s or even earlier, if legend is to be believed. The latest claimant to the throne of the "Kingdom of Redonda" is Michael Howorth, a travel writer who contends that he inherited the kingdom from the former ruler, Bob the Bald, upon Bob's recent death in Canada.
King Michael the Grey -- a U.K. yachting writer who presumably will soon surrender his British passport -- was crowned on Dec. 11 in a ceremony at Fort Charlotte, Antigua, an event that may have come as some surprise to local officials, since the generally accepted fact is that Redonda is part of Antigua. (Such an auspicious occasion might have been expected to have taken place on Redonda itself, except there's barely a place to stand upright on the steep-sloped island unless you're a goat.)