Belize's 78th Queen Kendall Morgan stripped of crown amid bullying allegations

Belize: The 78th Queen of the Bay 2023-2024, Kendall Morgan, has been stripped of the title and crown after the pageant committee accused her of going against several portions of her contract.

While the 20-year-old would have eventually handed over her crown later this month to a new queen, her alleged behavior in the public domain and complaints submitted to the committee over the last year have led to this decision.

The development was announced through a press release by the Association of Former Queens in collaboration with the National Queen of the Bay Committee. The release cited instances of alleged bullying and disrespectful behavior on Morgan's part.

Not only this but the decision was also made to pass the title and the crown to Keely Fux, who was the first runner-up at last year's pageant.

According to the information, the violations include a quote, bullying, cyberbullying, and general discourteous and disrespectful behavior. The press release stated 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 warned verbally and in writing, and Morgan was even offered professional assistance to help her maintain the crown.

In addition to this, one instance of Morgan's violation was a rant which she launched on Facebook after the National Celebrations Committee (NCC) used the photo of a past queen in this year's celebrations calendar instead of hers. This sparked an outrage online with people coming forward and demanding justice for the current queen.

People started to say that the queen was being side-lines from all events related to the pageant and even the promotions, however, the press release now sheds light on the instances which led to the committee making this decision.

The committee also said it was not the first time the 20-year-old Morgan had been involved in controversy. They said that Kendall Morgan had been warned on multiple occasions of bullying, cyberbullying, and disrespectful behavior, but she continued to engage in distasteful conduct.

Furthermore, 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 in an effort 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 concluded 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.

On the other hand, Morgan's lawyer is calling all the claims baseless and said that she was never involved in any kind of bullying, stating, "That's not her personality."

He also called upon the committee and the association to come forward and explain what they are talking about while calling the queen 'discourteous.'

The lawyer called the committee's procedures highly unprofessional and said that Morgan is now in the process of taking legal action against the committee for defaming her character.