Queen of the Bay Committee Strips Reigning Queen of Title

Queen of the Bay, 2023-2024, Kendall Morgan has been stripped of the title and crown. The announcement came from the Association of Former Queens and The National Queen of the Bay Committee in the form of a press release. The association and the committee cite instances of alleged bullying and general discourteous and disrespectful behaviour on the part of Morgan. The decision was also made to name the First Runner-Up in last year’s pageant the new queen for the remainder of the time. News Five’s Marion Ali has a report on this development.

 

Marion Ali, Reporting

Controversy surrounds the Queen of the Bay franchise yet again, as the title and the crown have been taken away from reigning queen, Kendall Morgan. With only ten days left before the 2024-2025 queen is selected, the Association of Former Queens and The National Queen of the Bay Committee have announced that last year’s first runner-up, Keely Faux, is the seventy-eighth Queen of the Bay.

 

The Association and the Committee, in this Facebook press release, point to several infractions by Morgan over the course of the year that she has held the crown. The violations include quote, bullying, cyber-bullying and general discourteous and disrespectful behaviour, end quote. The release states that the decision was unanimous and that the two bodies attempted numerous ways to allow Morgan to complete her reign.

 

 

 

The release did not state specific details, but it mentions that Morgan was written to, informing her of violations she has committed, which are not in tandem with the terms of her contract. Prior to the letters, the release states, Morgan was given verbal warnings of her behaviour. The release also quotes sections of the contract, a portion of which deals with the way the Queen of the Bay is expected to carry herself. This includes posts made on social media.

 

 

Furthermore, the release also quotes other sections of the contract that speak to the scope within which the Queen of the Bay is expected to carry herself when engaging the public, raises concerns or queries, or in sharing plans or notices when leaving the country.

 

 

 

The joint press release reveals that in July, a meeting was held to discuss the infractions, as well as a meeting that Morgan had with a delegation of former queens to raise her concerns over the allegations that were made against her. It was decided in July, that to allow her to keep the crown and title, Morgan would be limited in her interactions with the candidates, a decision to which she had reportedly agreed to by attaching her signature to the written decision.

 

 

The release concludes by stating that Morgan will remain with the prizes she has won, which include a bachelor’s degree scholarship to the University of Belize and a title property in the Belize Rural area.

 

News Five has attempted to get comments from Morgan’s manager, who has indicated that they have attained the services of an attorney to review the matter. We’ve also tried to reach the Director of the National Queen of the Bay Committee, Sherima Guity, but our efforts were futile.

 

Several years ago, controversy had surrounded the Queen of the Bay pageant when two individuals were named queen, one officially and the other by an official of the Committee who had believed there was disparity between the scores for the actual winner. That matter was settled when the person who was initially named Queen of the Bay was officially crowned on September tenth of that year.

 

 

Marion Ali for News Five.

 

Late this evening, the Director of the National of the Queen of the Bay Committee, Sherima Guity, messaged saying that she was in meetings all day and will avail herself on Thursday for interviews.