The self-styled King of Moraceae has launched what he has billed as the most ambitious public funding project of our time - to design and build a £1bn ’egg kingdom’ off the Manx coast.

But HM The Sole, aka US scholar and science fiction author Ian-James Clanton, has some way to go to reach his £1bn crowd-funding target, having secured donations totalling just £1,070 so far.

Mr Clanton first made the headlines in the island last year when he announced plans to buy the Castle Mona Hotel in Douglas to turn it into a base for a new ’meritocratic monarchy’ from where he would ’address the world on innovation, space exploration and the future of planet Earth’.

And now he has launched a GoFundMe bid to raise £1bn for the E.G.G, which stands for ’Ecological Geophysical Galleon’. This, he says, will be a 180-acre floating city, the world’s first earth-station that will be a permanent discovery campus dedicated to advancing planetary science and prototyping new innovations.

A permanent ocean settlement that would house 3,000-plus researchers and 5,000 plus guests, it would, apparently, be able to circumnavigate the globe.

Mr Clanton said: ’People are concerned that nation states and global institutions are no longer able to effectively address the issues our humanity faces.

’So I’m asking for the public’s backing, to build The E.G.G; the most vital engineering project of our time.

’Raising £1bn won’t be easy, but this will happen when the right people hear the call. Together we can build something truly remarkable and long-lasting; a project that can unite our species around a new story of a shared future on this planet and beyond. Please help...’

The King of Moraceae Foundation was one of two parties that had expressed an interest to buy the Castle Mona, which is still listed for sale by auction in London on July 17.

The King’s island-based ’Lord Chancellor’, Oscar Kenny, told the Examiner: ’The intention has always been to save the Castle Mona. And through the academic research, it does get recorded for posterity. We would still like to purchase, but I’m not able to speak more about the sale at this point.’

Asked whether people could really take the earth station project seriously, he said: ’We have many people around the world wishing to see this built, and a team of advisors who are endorsing the project. These endorsements will be relayed at the appropriate point.

’Practical barriers can be overcome with the right strategy and personnel. Anything is possible if we put our minds to it...’

Mr Kenny is one of 14 advisers to the King of Moraceae Foundation listed on its website. They include three former government ministers - John Shimmin, Phil Gawne and Richard Ronan.

Also listed is Kurt Roosen, founder of the Manx Educational Foundation which had previously planned to buy the Castle Mona to turn it into a IT centre of excellence, Charles Guard, architect Dr Patricia Tutt, Coutts House creator Jan Tinsley and entrepreneur Courtenay Heading.