ABINGDON, Virginia - An American man says he has claimed a kingdom in Africa so his daughter can be a princess.

Mr Heaton and his seven year-old daughter, Princess Emily, show the flag the family designed.[Photo/Agencies]

Jeremiah Heaton tells the Bristol Herald Courier that he recently trekked to a small, mountainous region between Egypt and Sudan called Bir Tawil. No country claims the land.

Heaton says he planted a flag designed by his children there so that he could become a king - and more importantly, so his 7-year-old daughter Emily could be a princess. They named the area the Kingdom of North Sudan.

Shelia Carapico, a professor of political science and international studies at the University of Richmond, says Heaton would not have political control over the land without legal recognition from neighboring countries, the United Nations or other groups.

Heaton says he hopes to get Sudan and Egypt to recognize the kingdom.