‘Lay my life down for England’: Royal guard’s eyebrow-raising new endeavour

Manuel Alcantara Turner is the first soldier to win Mr England and will represent the country in the Mr World final in November. Photo / @manuelalcantaraturner
A British serviceman has stepped into the world of pageantry, becoming the first soldier to win the Mr England competition.
Manuel Alcantara Turner has a pretty impressive résumé: the royal guard and soldier took part in the King’s coronation, trained Ukrainian troops, was twice deployed to Kenya, and now is the newly minted Mr England.
The 22-year-old secured the title in Leicester on Tuesday night (local time), beating 11 other competitors for the chance to become Mr World at the final in November.
The top 12 were selected from more than 150 entries, reports the Telegraph, with the contestants competing in a catwalk, fashion shoot and an interview.
Turner revealed he not only took part in ceremonial duties at King Charles’ coronation, but served during the funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2022.
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The King’s Guard, who hails from Whitley Bay in Tyneside, is the first soldier to win the male beauty pageant.
“All I want to do is lay my life down for England, so I think that’s pretty deserving for Mr England,” he said, as reported by the Telegragh.
“It’s an absolute honour to win this. I will represent my country well and hopefully make everyone proud.”
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Turner, who began his career with the British Army at 16, serves as a lance corporal with the Coldstream Guards and is based at Victoria Barracks near Windsor Castle, a royal residence in the county of Berkshire that’s strongly associated with the royal family.
Mr England was Turner’s first foray into the world of pageantry, but he backed himself as “quite a charismatic kind of guy”.
“This is the first time I’ve ever done anything like this, so I was quite nervous,” he said.
“I know my work would appreciate it, and I checked with them just in case, so time off work will not be an issue [for the Mr World contest].
“In terms of ambitions, it’s to serve my country. That has always been my ambition and always will be.”
He was presented with his trophy at the Mr England final by host and current Miss England Milla Magee, a lifeguard who has been dubbed the “Cornish Pamela Anderson”.
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Mr England is a biennial competition designed to find the country’s sole entry to the Mr World international male beauty pageant. Current Mr World, aerospace engineer Jack Heslewood, first secured the title for England in 2019 and continues to hold it due to the pageant’s five-year hiatus.
According to Mr England’s website, the pageant is searching for men who have a “great personality”, are “charitable and well-educated”, and are “[someone] that will represent their country well at national and international events”.
Among the 11 other Mr England finalists were personal trainers, models, an accountant, and a sheep farmer.
Before Heslewood, the previous Mr World was India’s Rohit Khandelwal, who was crowned in July 2016.
Mr World 2024, the 11th edition of the competition, will be held on November 23 in Vietnam. New Zealand is not competing for the title.