Leonard Casley, the founder of so-called micro-nation of Hutt River in Western Australia’s Mid West, has died aged 93.

Known as “Prince Leonard”, he decided to secede from Australia and form the principality of Hutt River in 1970 after a stoush with the State Government over wheat production quotas.

He was locked in a legal battle with the Australian Taxation Office for a number of years, but in 2017 was ordered to pay $3 million in income tax.

Prince Leonard had been suffering emphysema and ‘abdicated’ to his son Graham two years ago.

He was admitted to hospital over the weekend with a lung infection and died early this morning.

-ABC