Spain’s Mireia Lalaguna Royo wins Miss World title in China

She was the third South African to win the Miss World title in 40 years after Penny Coelen first won the title in 1958 followed by Anneline Kriel in 1974. Contestants from over 110 countries and regions competed at the final of the 65th Miss World Competition in Sanya Saturday.

Since her arrival in China, Megan has been posting photos including a photo of her, Miss World 2012 Wenxia Yu, and current Miss World Rolene Strauss.

The Miss World pageant, created in Britain by Eric Morley in 1951, is the oldest surviving major worldwide beauty contest.

This year’s event was overshadowed by controversy after China barred Canada’s China-born entrant, Anastasia Lin, from attending.

The newly crowned Miss World traditionally spends spend their winning year based in London and travelling the world representing the Miss World Organisation and its associated causes and charities.

The grand finale was hosted by the “Access Hollywood” presenter Tim Vincent, Megan Young, Filipino actress and former Miss World victor and Angela Chow, Taiwanese-Canadian actress. China refused her visa; therefore she could not board her flight from Hong Kong to Sanya.

To further anger the Chinese government, she is also a follower of the Falun Gong meditation practice, which was outlawed by China in 1999. Miss Spain also won the Top Model title. She was killed along with her sister in the town of Santa Barbara.

“It’s a huge honour for me if I will have the opportunity to do this with the big Miss World family”.