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Meet Teesside drag queen Monarchy who’s preparing to hit pageant catwalk
Meet the drag queen hoping to be a pioneer and advocate for Teesside as they take to the stage in a beauty pageant.
Daniel Hugo, also known as Dan, is originally from Stokesley and now performs under the drag persona Monarchy, after first discovering the world of drag three years ago.
Dan will now strut their stuff as Monarchy at the Mx Drag Great Britain pageant at the picturesque Alnwick Gardens in Northumberland, and will be competing against some of the best drag performers in England.
Although they love the glitz and glamour performing as Monarchy, Dan also hopes to become a pioneer for the Teesside LGBTQ+ community, as well as approach important topics such as male mental health, online trolls and breaking down harmful stereotypes.
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Dan, who first discovered the world of drag as a teenager, said: “I’ve been doing drag for the last three or so years but only been working in drag for the last two. The first time I saw a drag queen I despised them because I was told by one of them that I’d never be as fabulous as them.
“But being told that gave me a challenge to try and do it myself, I started watching more drag and then began playing around with makeup with a friend from school and it all stemmed from there – I saw it as a bit of rebellion and I really enjoyed it.
“As Monarchy, I take a lot of inspiration from horror films so my look is quite gothic and vampy, but I love doing comedy sketches and filming my own short videos.”
Dan explained that Monarchy is ‘proper old school’ and is a ‘mouthy queen’ after taking inspiration from older queens on the Teesside drag circuit, while working at popular LGBTQ+ bar Tiny on Middlesbrough’s Newport Road, which closed in summer 2022.
After Tiny closed, Dan set up L!PSTICK event, which sees Teesside drag performers take to the stage in venues such as Base Camp in Middlesbrough and Teesside University’s Students Union.
The Mx Drag Great Britain pageant in August will see Monarchy take part in a catwalk segment, written segment, congeniality award and each of the six contestants will fundraise for the pageant’s chosen charities – Northumberland Pride and the Charlie and Carter Foundation, which supports families of children with life limiting conditions.
Dan added: “I’m up against six other drag queens in the pageant, the majority of them are based up here in the North East but I know one is coming up from Norwich and one is London based and she was in the Elton John film Rocketman so there is some tough competition!
“I’m already working on my catwalk, we’re currently all doing the pageant media days and I’m working with designers on a Teesside inspired look which takes inspiration from the local area and England in general.”
If crowned the winner of the Mx Drag Great Britain pageant, Dan will be able to visit the Houses of Parliament as Monarchy and speak to MPs about LGBTQ+ issues directly. He hopes to become a ‘pioneer’ of Teesside drag and wants to use his platform to discuss things like mental health and online trolls.
Dan said: “Drag is about being a pioneer rather than a spectacle for me, it’s about being a voice for other people. I don’t think I’ll ever be the best singer or dancer but I could be the best representative for our area, one thing older queens have taught me is to respect those who have paved the way before us – it’s all about being an advocate for others.
“Drag is hyper feminine but I want to empower men’s mental health too, straight people love drag too and when you break down that fourth wall with people we can educate each other. Just being seen is so important, I’ve had awful things said to me on the street and online so I want to be able to do something about it so others don’t go through the same.”
Dan takes to the stage as Monarchy at the Mx Drag Great Britain pageant on August 26 in Alnwick, where he will be competing for the title against a handful of other drag performers from the North East and across the UK.
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