Victoria Theilvig now holds Denmark’s Miss Universe franchise

March 24 ------ The Miss Universe Organization (MUO) need not look further when it sought a new franchisee for Denmark, as former titleholder Victoria Kjær Theilvig has officially acquired the license for her country.

Her acquisition of the franchise for the Scandinavian country was publicly made official via the international pageant’s social media pages, through a post made early morning on Sunday, March 22. “We are thrilled to announce [Theilvig], Miss Universe 2024, as the new franchisee of Miss Universe Denmark [stars emoji],” the post on the Miss Universe account said.

Last year, MUO awarded the Miss Universe Denmark franchise to Filipino publicist and publisher Josh Yugen, who also holds the licenses for Pakistan, Bahrain, Egypt, and Sweden. He sent Monique Sonne to try to score a Danish back-to-back in the 2025 competition.

Theilvig posted Denmark’s first-ever win in the Miss Universe pageant when she captured her crown in the 73rd edition held in Mexico. She had previously competed in the 2022 Miss Grand International pageant, where she finished in the Top 20. “Victoria embodies everything a true queen represents: grace, kindness, humility, and beauty with a purpose. Her journey continues to inspire, and we are proud to have her lead this new chapter,” the Miss Universe post continued. It is not clear, however, if Theilvig will also assume the position of “national director” for Denmark, or if she will appoint another person to take the seat.

Being a franchise holder is a different post. In the Philippines, the Miss Universe franchise is under Empire Philippines, headed by Jonas Gaffud, while 2013 Miss Universe runner-up Ariella Arida is officially designated as the national director, taking the post held by 2011 runner-up Shamcey Supsup from 2020 to 2022. “We are a family, and Victoria stands as our greatest example of strength, elegance, and heart [universe emoji],” the Miss Universe post said.

Theilvig previously had a publicly documented spat with MUO Asiana VP Nawat Itsaragrisil after she joined the walkout initiated by eventual winner Fatima Bosch of Mexico in last year’s pageant in Thailand. If Theilvig will eventually assume the national directorship of Denmark after her franchise acquisition, she would not be the first former titleholder to become national director for her country.

Former Miss Universe winners who also became their respective countries’ national directors include Mexico’s Lupita Jones, Venezuela’s Gabriela Isler, and Angola’s Leila Lopes. Theilvig is now in charge of searching for Denmark’s representative to the 75th Miss Universe pageant that will be held in Puerto Rico in November.

Source: inquirer.net