The SCA Board of Directors today voted unanimously to approve the advancement of the Principality of Northshield, currently part of the Middle Kingdom, to become an independent Kingdom in 2004. Northshield will become the 18th kingdom in the Society for Creative Anachronism, with the most recent previously created being Lochac. Northshield became a principality of the Middle Kingdom in 1995, and has been seriously working toward kingdom advancement for several years. According to Lord Fiskr, the current Principality Seneschal, the approval happened at 10:53 a.m. US Pacific daylight time Saturday, July 19.

Their Majesties, Pieter van Doorn and Nan Astrid of York, announced the advancement approval formally at the Tournament of the Rose, held near Detroit, Michigan, today. The first Crown Tournament will occur in the spring of 2004, and the first Coronation will be in the fall of 2004. There is a web site online with a "virtual tour" of the site of the Crown Tourney (in Barony of Windhaven): http://www.regencygb.com/ .

To anyone who has been following the progress of Northshield's preparations, this day comes as no surprise, but it is extremely good news to all concerned. The populace of Northshield, much of which is located in sparsely-populated portions of the north-central United States, will have nearer and more frequent access to royalty and kingdom-level activities, while the Middle Kingdom will benefit from having a much smaller land area and populace to serve and administer.

The web site linked from this article (see above) provides a detailed history of Northshield.