Born in Rhosllannerchrugog , Denbighshire , in north-east Wales in 1943 , Frankland moved to Lancashire , England , as a child . She took part in many beauty pageants and won the title of Miss Wales and , later in 1961 in London , she became ( as Miss United Kingdom ) the first British woman and the seventh European ( Sweden won the two first contests , France won in 1953 , Germany three years later , Finland in 1957 and the Netherlands in 1959 ) to win the Miss World competition . She also was the first runner-up at Miss Universe 1961 . Together with Gina Swainson , who won the Miss World title as Miss Bermuda in 1979 , Frankland is one of the two women who came closest to winning both Miss Universe and Miss World , having been second at Miss Universe before winning Miss World . Helen Morgan who was also Miss Wales and Miss United Kingdom , achieved the same feat , but she resigned the Miss World title four days after being crowned . It is worth noting that all three would not have been able to go on to Miss World had they won Miss Universe
Miss Universe 1961
Miss Universe 1961
Rosemarie Frankland