Natasha Hemmings won the Miss England 2015 crown after being hailed as the overall winner during a grand finals night held at Ricoh Arena in Coventry on August 14. Natasha, who is 19 years of age, represented the county of Cheshire. She will wear the England sash at the Miss World competition which will be held in Sanya, China on December.
While England does not compete as a separate entity at Miss Universe (represented by a Miss Great Britain) and at Miss International (a Miss United Kingdom competes), it is present in Miss World and Miss Earth. Not so long ago, there was a contestant with a sash named United Kingdom at Miss World but the practice ended in 2000. Many analyst thought that it was probably ushered by Tony Blair’s Labour government which pursued more devolved powers for countries that constitute the United Kingdom.
Thus at Miss World, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each sends a delegate. England had a bad start since 2000 but picked up the pace in 2011 which until now has an unbroken streak of semis finish at Miss World. Last year, Miss England Carina Tyrell was one of Top 5 finalists. This could probably signal the comeback of a nation which is historically strong at beauty pageants. English beauties dominated the Miss United Kingdom title from 1958-1999. England can also be proud of its stellar performance at Miss Universe during the 60s and the 70s albeit without a winner.
Natasha, thus, will have a heavy responsibility. She is set to prove that the English beauty still ranks as one of the best in the world. With her polished looks and a confident aura, it is not farfetched to think that this English rose will continue to make England proud. But what will be her placement? Will she be in the semis? The top 5? Or even the winner? Or is it way too early to predict?
