Valerie Susan Holmes (born November 1946) is a British model and beauty queen who was the 1969 winner of the

Miss International Miss International (''Miss International Beauty'' or ''The International Beauty Pageant'') is a Japan-based international major beauty pageant organized by the International Culture Association. First held in 1960, it is the fourth largest page ...

beauty pageant A beauty pageant is a competition in which the contestants are judged and ranked based on various physical and mental attributes. Per its name, beauty pageants traditionally focus on judging the contestants' physical attractiveness, sometimes sol ...

. She was the first delegate from her country to win the competition. Valerie was born in November 1946 to Ernest and Phyllis Holmes of

Winchmore Hill Winchmore Hill is a suburb and electoral ward in the London Borough of Enfield, north London, England, in the N postcode area, N21 postal district. The Winchmore Hill conservation area serves as the focal point of the district. Geographically, ...

, a small suburb of

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. She won the Miss Enfield contest in 1969. This victory paved the way for her to compete and eventually win the title of Miss Britain, and from that on, to take the crown at the

contest of 1969. Following her win at the international pageant held in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, she toured the globe for a year, ending up back in Japan, in

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

to crown the winner of the

contest in 1970, Aurora McKenny Pijuan. Holmes moved to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, where she eventually married and raised a family.

References

Miss International winners Living people 1946 births People from Enfield, London British beauty pageant winners Miss International 1969 delegates {{europe-pageant-bio-stub