TELEVISION presenter Ben Fogle can now call himself Lord, after being given the honour by a micronation off the Essex coast.

He was presented with the lordship of the Principality of Sealand, about seven miles off the coast of Harwich, for his work in raising public awareness of the island and in recognition of his “spirit of adventure” in rowing the Atlantic.

Sealand is a wartime fort whose owners declared independence 40 years ago.

Radio 2 presenter Terry Wogan has also been given a lordship, but he was unable to join Ben Fogle in receiving the stately title.

Princess Charlotte Bates, 19, of Olivia Drive, Leigh, presented Ben with the award alongside her brother Prince James.

She said: ““I really enjoyed meeting him.

“I watch a lot of his programmes, so I am a bit of a fan.

“He is a nice, down-to-earth man.

“He has been out to Sealand before and my dad really liked him, so he was given the title.”

The titles can be obtained by people who give the principality financial support or who have raised its profile.