This year’s Miss World is an unmarried mother.

Dark-haired Helen Morgan, Miss United Kingdom, was the choice of the all-British jury in the televised contest of 57 national beauty queens from all over the world.

A 22-year-old model from Wales, Miss Morgan is the mother of an 18-month-old son born out of wedlock, today began what is supposed to be a one-year reign as Miss World.

Miss World, whose measurements are 35-24-35, won $7,200 cash with the crown and is guaranteed $24,000 from promotional appearances during the year of her reign.

Miss South Africa, 19-year-old blonde drama student Anneline Kriel, placed second and Miss Israel, dark-haired teacher Lea Klein, 22, came third.

Miss Australia, 19-year-old Gail Petith, was fourth and Miss United States, 20-year-old Terry Ann Browning of Daytona Beach, Fla., was fifth.

Miss Morgan’s illegitimate baby, Richard, whose existence was kept secret until she won the Miss United Kingdom title, made her the first unmarried mother to take the world crown in the contest’s 23 years.

Miss Morgan, a 5-foot-7, hazel-eyed brunette, astonished beauty contest officials a few months ago by declaring: “I’m proud of my baby.  I’m not married, but I’m not ashamed.”

The sponsors of the annual beauty extravaganza, Mecca Ltd., have banned married women from competing, but the contest rules say nothing about unwed mothers.

Miss Morgan said she, her 18-month-old son, Richard, and the boy’s father, Chris Clode, share a house in the Welsh town of Barry.

“Chris and I came to an agreement more than two years ago that marriage wasn’t for us,” she said recently.  “Our relationship has been very happy.”

A television audience estimated at 30 million saw the new Miss World crowned. 

Miss Morgan took over a vacant title.  Last year’s winner, American model Marjorie Wallace of Indianapolis, was stripped of the crown after 14 weeks because of publicity over her relationships with pop singer Tom Jones, American Grand Prix racing driver Peter Revson, heir to the Revson cosmetics fortune, and former British soccer star George Best.

Mrs. Julia Morley, organizer of the contest, said she dethroned Marjorie with eight months to run of her contract because of the “adverse publicity” surrounding her private life.

Miss Morgan won this year after the 57 contestants - including a black Miss Africa South as well as a white Miss South Africa - were whittled down to 15 semi-finalists.

MISS WORLD 1974

1974 November 22
London, England
58 entries

Results
1  United Kingdom  Helen Elizabeth Morgan (1st RU Universe-Wales '74)
2  South Africa  Anneline Kriel
3  Israel  Lea Klain
4  Australia  Gail Margaret Petith
5  U.S.A.  Terry Ann Browning

Finalists
6  Sweden  Jill Lindqvist
7  Japan  Chikako Shima

Semi-finalists
Africa South  Evelyn Peggy Williams
Barbados  Linda Yvonne Field
Brazil  Mariza Sommer
Ireland  Julie Ann Farnham (SF Universe '75)
Jamaica  Andrea Lyon
New Zealand  Sue Nicholson
Norway  Torill Mariann Larsen (1st RU Scandinavia '75, 4rh RU unofficial Europe-Iceland '76)
Spain  Natividad Rodríguez Fuentes

Remainder
Argentina  Sara Barberi
Aruba  Esther Angeli Luisa Marugg
Austria  Eveline Maria Engleder (Universe '74)
Bahamas  Monique Betty Cooper
Belgium  Anne-Marie Sophie Sikorski (Europe '74, Universe '74)
Bermuda  Joyce Ann De Rosa (Universe '74)
Botswana  Rosemary Moleti
Canada  Sandra Margaret Emily Campbell (International '74, Universe '75)
Colombia  Luz Maria Osorio Fernández (winner Coffee '74)
Costa Rica  Rose Marie Leprade Coto 
Denmark  Jane Moller
Dominican Republic  Giselle María Scanlon Grullón
Ecuador  Silvia Aurora Jurado Estrada
Finland  Merja Talvikki Ekman (Scandinavia '75)
France  Edna Tepava (International-Tahiti '73, Europe '74)
Germany  Sabrina Erlmeier
Gibraltar  Patricia Orfila
Greece  Evgenia "Nia" Dafni
Guam  Rosemary Laguna Pablo
Guernsey  Gina Elizabeth Ann Atkinson
Holland  Gerarda "Gemma" Sophia Balm (3rd RU Europe '74)
Honduras  Leslie Suez Ramírez
Hong Kong  Judy Denise Anita Dirkin
India  Kiran Dholakia
Italy  Zaira Zoccheddu
Jersey  Christine Marjorie Sangan
Korea  Shim Kyoung-sook
Lebanon  Gisèle Hachem
Madagascar  Raobelina Harisoa
Malaysia  Shirley Tan
Malta  Mary Louis Elull (International '75)
Mexico  Guadalupe del Carmen Elorriaga Valdéz (Universe '74)
Nicaragua  Francis "Fanny" Duarte de León Tapia (Universe '74)
Philippines  Agnes Benisano Rustia
Puerto Rico  Loyda Eunice Valle Blas Machado (Coffee '74)
Singapore  Valerie Oh Choon Lian (International '74)
Sri Lanka  Vinodini Roshanara Jayskera
Switzerland  Astrid Maria Angst (International '74)
Thailand  Orn-Jir Chaisatra
Tunisia  Zohra Kehlifi
Venezuela  Alicia Rivas Serrano
Yugoslavia  Jadranka Banjac
Zambia  Christine Munkombwe

Awards
Miss Personality  Hong Kong
Miss Photogenic  Yugoslavia