Miss England’s allegations: No scope for inappropriate behaviour, says Telangana IAS officer

Hyderabad: “The idea of inappropriate behaviour is beyond imagination,” said a senior IAS officer of Telangana about Miss England 2024, Milla Magee, walking out of the contest in the 74-year history of the Miss World contest.

Miss Magee has created a stir of sorts with her allegations of ‘feeling objectified’ for reportedly being asked to be seated at the table with the event’s sponsors.

Who was Miss Magee seated with?

Miss Magee was seated with a senior IAS officer, his wife, daughter-in-law and another woman guest. A video of Miss Magee has been released by Miss World Organisation. “What inappropriate thing would a senior IAS officer seated with his family say?” the IAS officer said.

Miss Magee, while stating her allegations in an interview with The Sun, said that ‘she and other contestants were told to ‘entertain’ sponsors’ who had financially contributed to the event. “There were two girls at each table of six guests. We were expected to sit with them for the whole evening and entertain them,” she said.

Twenty-four-year-old Magee, a lifeguard from Cornwall, said to The Sun, “I wanted to champion the cause of cardiopulmonary resuscitation awareness in the pageant. But I realised the pageant environment conflicted with my values.”

Magee left before two social events

Miss Magee attended only one event at Chowmalla Palace, where the contestants engaged with guests at the social events. Miss Magee participated in the event of Charminar on May 13 where she was a part of the heritage walk and engaging with the shopkeepers at Laad Bazaar. Miss Magee withdrew from the event on May 16.

There were two other social events:

At the Secretariat: The contestants came and engaged with the senior government officials and also elected representatives and interacted with them.

At the Ramoji Film City: The contestants engaged with members of the film city and others who gave them insights into the tourist destination of Hyderabad.

In both these major events, the guest list was not the kind that would disturb the participants in any inappropriate way, explained a senior official of the tourism department.

A senior IAS officer of Telangana, on condition of anonymity, explained, “I have personally spoken to many participants and each of them confirmed that there was no one who has spoken or made them uncomfortable at any given point of time. The only thing they find a bit annoying is the hundreds of requests for pictures and selfies. But they take it in their own stride, knowing that it is a part of the culture in India.”

Miss World Organisation releases video

Miss World Organisation has released unedited videos recorded during Milla’s stay in India, in which she expresses gratitude, joy, and appreciation for the experience. These videos reflect her own words and sentiments and serve as a direct contradiction to the recent false narratives.

Miss World Organisation rejects accusations

In a statement issued by Miss World Organisation, Julia Morley CBE, chairman and CEO of the Miss World Organisation, shared: “Earlier this month, Milla Maggie requested to leave the competition due to a reported family emergency involving her mother’s health. As a mother and grandmother herself, Julia Morley CBE, chairwoman of Miss World, responded to Milla’s situation with compassion and immediately arranged her return to England, placing the well-being of the contestant and her family first.

Following her departure, Charlotte Grant, the 1st runner-up of Miss England, graciously stepped in to represent her country. Charlotte arrived in India on Wednesday and has since been warmly welcomed into the Miss World sisterhood.”

Miss England Charlotte Grant

Miss England Charlottee Grant is now representing England. She participated in the visit to Pochampally and has been participating in all the shows of the event.

In the Fashion finale, Miss Grant represented the design of England with style and grace.

Hyderabad is hosting for the first time

Miss World is being hosted in Hyderabad for the first time. It was earlier hosted in Mumbai in 2023 and 1996 in Bengaluru. The government has worked towards showcasing the culture, art and heritage of Telangana in the Miss World 2025 event.