Queen Saturday- The International Regency Queens from the UK

The United Kingdom are on a roll! July saw us bring 4 more crowns back to the UK from Internationals, from our very own Diamond queens who won their division at the Regency International pageants in Las Vegas.

If you didn't know, the winners of the UK Diamond Pageant are given the opportunity to compete in Las Vegas, representing the UK at the Regency International Pageants, where they compete in fashion and evening, as well as other awards. All our UK girls placed, and 4 came home with the crown! So we caught up with the queens fresh from Vegas, take a read to hear their pageant journey to the crown!



Lucy- Teen Miss Regency International and Miss Teen Diamond UK 2019

Welcome back Lucy! We interviewed you as a National winner and now you are an international title holder! Tell us how you prepared! 


Okay so my preparation for internationals turned out to be a lot more stressful than it was expected to be!
I had four different fashion wears fall through!! It's now a running joke that the universe has great taste and wanted me to wear my winning fashion wear !
As for other types of preparation, us diamond queens are very lucky that the first two months of our reigns as national titleholders also go towards our international side awards.

I am so proud to say I won the achievement award which is an award given to the person in the each division for starting a project for example food drives and charities, my project is my campaign #BeWhoYouNeeded and my video content which you can find on my Facebook page, Lucy Rayner- Teen Regency International

Amazing achievement, and a great campaign to get behind ladies, I've done mine! Tell us how it felt to finally win that crown, as you've been to Regency before to watch haven't you?

It was a massive shock, but it was incredible, my first reaction was to call my parents who had waited up until the early hours of the morning because of the time difference! It felt amazing to be at the finals and finally be crowned, and the added bonus was I was being crowned again by my UK queen sister Chloe so a back to back UK Teen win at internationals!

The new Teen next year will have huge heels to fill! Can you tell us what your platform is as you talked about you #bewhoyouneeded campaign?

My platform is inclusivity and diversity specifically gay rights and I am the Ambassador for MindOut UK which is an amazing charity that provides mental health support for LGBT+ youth.

You can find more information about my platform and work on my social media such as my page and Instagram - @Lucyhelenrayner

Can you tell us on of the highlights on your international finals, apart from winning of course! 
I absolutely love joking with Americans, my sense of humour really works with theirs, due to this the videographer crew took a shine to me and during meet and greets I was given a microphone and asked to do mini interviews!  This was so much fun and also a brilliant way to meet everyone!

Finally, any last words of advice for future queens?

DO IT!!

You find so many people on the fence about doing Pageantry because of one reason or another and I can honestly say that all of my beat friends are my pageant friends, my best memories are my pageant memories and my life continues to be brightened up and inspired by my pageant life!

Sofia- Miss Regency International and Miss Diamond 2019

Welcome Sofia, and a massive congrats! Tell us how you prepared for the international finals?

To prepare for the finals I worked endlessly attending appearances all over the country and raising thousands of pounds for charity, as well as focusing how I could reflect my personality in my outfits that I would be wearing throughout the duration of the competition internationally.Additionally my mother decided to have some pageant training with The Pageant coaching academy to get competition ready. Although I didn’t have any coaching directly myself ,Racheal ( coach) was so helpful , caring and gave my mother and I endless advice and tips for competing! Which ultimately got us fully prepared for the pageant.

Tell us how it felt to win at internationals? Your reaction was everything!

To win internationally in Las Vegas was somewhat a fantasy of mine! I believe that your dreams don’t work unless you do which is why I worked my tippy tops off to get where I am today! 

Can you tell us if you have a platform in pageantry or a charity you like to fundraise for? 

 Helping the community and raising money and awareness for charitable organisations will always have a special place in my heart. Not only through my pageant career but throughout the whole of my life I have always offered to lend a hand where i am needed.

Over the years I have raised thousands of pounds for multiple charities , my mother ( Sonja Wilson Classic Diamond United Kingdom/ Classic Regency International ) and I have just recently given a cheque to a charity which is extremely close to our hearts. SANDS stillbirth & neonatal death charity,  in which they support families who are grieving from the loss of their babies . It is a non-profit organisation and they   predominantly rely on donations from the public. Unfortunately a death of a baby is not rare. Every day in the UK around 15 babies die before , during or soon after birth. That means every 90 minutes a family is faced with the devastation of the death of their baby.

Now I want to talk about how you raised an incredible amount of money for this charity by bringing something completely new to the UK, can you tell us about this?

When it came to thinking up an idea for a fundraiser for this worthy charity I had a brain wave,  and decided to set up a Drag pageant giving Drag artists all over the country no matter their gender , skin colour , size and sexuality a platform to showcase their artistry to a wider audience and to break the stigma around Drag and prove that it is family friendly. With the help of my mother and friend Blake Miss Drag UK was born !


Initially we aimed for having an audience of around 150 to 200 people for this charity event , but with the powers of social media we had over 650 people attended with it being live streamed all over the internet and was professionally filmed by different media networks including ITV news Meridian which had 4.1 million viewers! We received such incredible support from national newspapers, online blogs to even the Houses of Parliament! With the Popular demand ;of what we thought would only be a one time off event ! We have decided to have Miss Drag UK as an official event that will be held yearly , so watch our page carefully as our tickets appear to fly fast!

What was the highlight of the international week for yourself, excluding winning the crown?

There are so many parts of internationals that were truly incredible but my favourite part has to be the bond that Team UK formed! I now consider these wonderful women family , all of our little jokes and dancing in the party bus and not forgetting our incredible helicopter ride kindly given to us by
our kind hearted directors! Just WOW!

Lastly, what advice could you give for people looking to get into pageants?

My best advice for anyone entering a pageant is to make sure you know the system and to find a pageant that suits you! No one is you and that is your power ... breathe and be 100% true to yourself!

Leigh- Mrs Regency International and Mrs/Ms Diamond 2019

Welcome to Sparkles and Rhinestones Leigh! Can you tell us how you prepared for Internationals?

I prepared by doing research about myself. When I lost the Midlands heat early in the year at Miss Diamond United Kingdom; it was a blessing! Why? Because it made me realise how unprepared I was for the competition ahead and just how much work I still needed to do. I knew I had flaws and areas I needed to work on and refine so I decided to prepare by asking myself - Who am I? Why am I Doing this? What do I stand for? Who is it that I am trying to help and inspire and how can I use my voice for not just the Diamond platform but also The Regency.

 Interviews also are scary; I don't think anyone could truly say that its not nerve-racking and it can hold a lot of points when it comes to competition, also it's the only opportunity to talk to the judges and in that 5 minutes show them your heart and what it is your passionate about!. I never want to come across fake but still be confident enough and well planned enough to answer the judges questions and speak about my charities and platforms. Doing this then laid an amazing foundation to take with me when I won the Diamond Crown and went to the Regency International Pageant.

Preparation is key! How did it feel to win the international crown!

Winning Regency was just amazing; Words can't even describe it. Just thinking about it now makes me smile from ear to ear and get excited all over again. I don't think people understand or realise just how hard I pushed myself. I worked so hard, trained hard, reflected on myself and goals, who I am, what I wanted out of this, what I was going to wear, how I would wear it on stage and how much I wanted to dedicated myself to the Diamond system and now Regency platform. I'm still new to Pageantry in comparison to others and I didn't want to let this disadvantage stop me.

I'm Autistic and dyslexic and so anyone who has an understanding on ASD will know if my heart wasn't in it and I was not fully committed; it would show and I wouldn't give my full attention to it. My focus and eyes were set on the prize and to win warmed my heart. To overcome fear, doubt and walk on stage to a room full of people; to step out of your comfort zone and talk about who you are and your desire to do your best to hope that the judges see you at your best and the potential you have and then win! It made all my hard work worth while. I would of been happy in the top 5 as this was my first time in an International Final like this and it was like patting myself on the back and saying "Well done Leigh; you just showed yourself you can over come fear"

What an inspiring story, you must be so proud! Can you tell us a little more about your platform and chosen charity?  

My Chosen charity is The Buddy Bag foundation. You may be shocked to learn that 48,000 children require emergency accommodation in the UK each year. Children normally are fleeing violent situations and Domestic abuse and often have to leave the home quickly, without the chance to collect even basic necessary items like a tooth brush, soap or clothing. These children arrive in to emergency accommodation with just the clothes they are wearing and nothing more. There are over 68,000 children in care in England currently and almost 400,000 children received support from children’s services in England during 2015. (Source: NSPCC web site Department of Education 2014)"

The Buddy Bag Foundation is one of the charity's that i'm supporting and was founded by Karen Williamson. A Buddy Bag is a backpack that contains all the essential items a child needs. They include all toiletries they need like soap and toothbrushes etc, pyjamas, socks and underwear. They also include comfort items such as a book to read, a photo frame, colouring pad and crayons and a teddy bear to cuddly. A Buddy Bag is something a child can call their own, no matter where they go. Buddy Bags are tailored to suit babies and children according to age groups and gender and cater specifically for children aged 0-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12 and 13-16 years old. Each Buddy bag that's made up supports a child in emergency care. I know how it feels to lose everything and be without a home and so if one act of kindness can help a person suffering then I will do it.

I also LOVE working with the National Society of Autism because I'm Autistic and Homeless charities; again this is because at one point when I was 18 I was homeless but while I reign and work hard for Miss Diamond and Regency International I want to inspire as many young lives as possible and so have been trying to push the Buddy Bag foundation charity.

If you could pick a moment (apart from crowning of course) of the week, what would it be?

It was all an amazing experience; I can't just narrow it down to one event or moment. I loved making friends and meeting all the girls, walking on stage and being in Vegas.. Another Highlight for me was for me being the first Curly haired afro contestant to win the competition and a super big win was seeing Lucy win as an ambassador for Gay rights and the LGBT community, an amazing step forward in an ever changing world.

Lastly, what could you say to people who are looking to enter pageant land?

 If i could give any advice it would be to 'reflect' Ask yourself why it is your entering pageantry? Is it just for the crown or for something greater; that is close to your heart?  Reflect on who you are and the people you want to inspire.

Sonja- Classic Regency International and Classic Diamond UK 2019

Welcome Sonja! Could you tell us a little more of how you prepared for this internationals? 

I worked extremely hard and preparation is one of the key factors to winning a pageant. It’s not about luck as I believe you make your own luck! I had some coaching to get me onto the right tracks but ultimately it’s about self development and building yourself as a brand. There’s not a magic formula to win but it’s about bringing out the best in you as an individual.

 I tried not to leave anything until the last minute and strategically planned every step of my journey for nationals and internationals,  which helps you plan for every eventuality. I was fortunate to be able to do this with my daughter Sofia Mayers who won the Miss Category Nationally and Internationally.

Can you tell us how it felt to be crowned the Classic winner, the very first from the UK?

Winning in Vegas has to be the pinnacle in my pageant career as not only did we win a Caribbean cruise, and an opportunity to walk in New York Fashion week but the fact that I have won internationally at 51 years of age for me is a great life achievement.

Can you tell us a bit more about your platform in pageantry?

My platform is positive diversity and Sofia and I set up Miss Drag UK to allow drag queens to experience the magic of entering a pageant as historically they have never been given this opportunity. The result was an amazing event that hit all the national media and the contestants have made friends for life,  and some have embarked on new life journeys because of the empowerment they have experienced.

 In my opinion to have been able to help individuals discover who they are or where they are going means so much. We also raised £8000 for a stillbirth charity and a children’s hospice.

What were the highlights of internationals?

My highlights were an amazing helicopter flight over Las Vegas at night as it was not only exhilarating but lit up so majestically! I also enjoyed spending time with Team Diamond UK as we had so much fun together and laughed, cried, cheered and sang together. Seeing my team members win, especially my daughter Sofia as she had worked so hard .Definitely treasured memories!

Finally, what advice would you give to someone starting in pageants?

The advice for those looking to enter a pageant would be: Be you don’t copy someone else, fail to plan; plan to fail. If you don’t win be gracious nobody likes a sore loser. Enjoy the whole experience and make the most of it and take care of your pageant sisters.

Thank you to all the queens that gave their time to be interviewed and we can't wait to see the rest of their year as international queens!

If you would like to be interviewed for Sparkles and Rhinestones, get in touch!