**Royal Confirmation: Meet All The Queens Without Virtual Assistant Intervention**

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK is back with Season 7 with a new group of queens racing to be the UK’s next drag superstar.

International drag icon, RuPaul, returns to host the new season of the competition that over ten weeks will see the twelve hopeful queens compete in a variety of spicy challenges and iconic games designed to test their drag skills.

The winner of the week will be awarded a much-coveted RuPeter badge, and the bottoms of the week will face a Lip Sync For Their Life and the risk of elimination.

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RuPaul, affectionately revered as Mama Ru, leads an esteemed judging panel that includes regular judges Michelle Visage, Alan Carr and Graham Norton, as well as a host of special celebrity guest judges. Together they deliberate the fate of the queens, but it is Mama Ru, queen of queens, who has the final word on who stays or sashays away from the competition.

The time has come for RuPaul to unleash the eagerly awaited new queens from across the UK and beyond. Snatch a glimpse of their showstopping charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent, as they share their dreams and fears for the forthcoming competition.

RELATED: ‘Drag Race Philippines: Slaysian Royale’ Season 1 Cast Photos: Meet The 12 Queens Competing

The premiere date for RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Season 7 will be revealed at a later time.

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK is a World of Wonder production for BBC Three and BBC iPlayer commissioned by Fiona Campbell, Controller, BBC iPlayer and Youth Audiences and Kalpna Patel-Knight, Head of Entertainment at the BBC.

The Executive Producers for World of Wonder are Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato, Tom Campbell, RuPaul Charles, Bruce McCoy, Matt Green, and Johnni Javier and the BBC Commissioning Editor is Ruby Kuraishe.

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Scroll through the photo gallery below to meet the queens competing on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Season 7.

• ‘RuPaul’s Drag UK’ Season 7 Cast Photos

  Image Credit: BBC / WOW Presents Plus

  Bones (27, London)

  Where did your drag name come from?

  Honestly, my name just came to me in the shower and I was like, ‘Bones works!’. It’s not masculine, it’s not feminine. It’s strong, it’s kind of witchy, it’s got some type of dark element to it, and there’s always a pun in there somewhere!

  Why do you deserve to be crowned the UK’s Next Drag Race Superstar?

  I think I deserve to be the UK’s Next Drag Race Superstar because I’m a true original and it’s about time that everybody sees it.

• ‘RuPaul’s Drag UK’ Season 7 Cast Photos

  

  Image Credit: BBC / WOW Presents Plus

  Bonnie Ann Clyde (30, Dublin)

  Where did your drag name come from?

  Bonnie Ann Clyde you’d think is a pun on the gangsters Bonnie and Clyde. It’s actually not. I’m named after my two dead cats, and they were named after the gangsters. And so, my dead cats live on in me!

  Why do you deserve to be crowned the UK’s Next Drag Race Superstar?

  (Impersonating iconic X Factor contestant Holly Jervis) This is my moment. I’ve worked for years doing jobs I didn’t want to do and I’ve worked so hard. I deserve this crown, I deserve that sceptre, I deserve that £25k, and you know what? I’m going to get it because I’m fabulous, I’m fantastic, I’m Bonnie Ann Clyde and I’m going to win!

• ‘RuPaul’s Drag UK’ Season 7 Cast Photos

  

  Image Credit: BBC / WOW Presents Plus

  Chapter of Feelings (26, Rhondda Valley)

  Where did your drag name come from?

  I wanted a pun and something Welsh. It came to me after listening to a Little Mix song. It was ‘Motivate’, and the lyrics go, ‘O na, na, I’m catching feelings’, I was just like, ‘oh it sounds like they’re singing Catrin Feelings, and so that’s why I’m called Catrin Feelings!

  Why do you deserve to be crowned the UK’s Next Drag Race Superstar?

  It feels right girls! I want to show how far hard work can get you. I left my job to become a full-time drag queen, that’s how serious I am. Drag is just everything to me. I absolutely love every single bit of this.

• ‘RuPaul’s Drag UK’ Season 7 Cast Photos

  

  Image Credit: BBC / WOW Presents Plus

  Chai T Grande (32, London)

  Where did your drag name come from?

  My name comes from my two great loves: I love a chai latte (I used to drink it every day until I figured out how calorific they are) and of course, the second part of my name is in reverence for Ariana Grande. The ‘T’ in the middle can mean whatever you want – talented, tantalising, Thai, tragic, titillating, tea…?

  Why do you deserve to be the UK’s Next Drag Race Superstar?

  I’m a very humble queen, so I’m not going to walk in and be like, ‘I can do everything’. BUT yes I can perform, yes I can act, yes I can (kind of) sing, but you know what? Being a drag queen is so much more than that. It’s about welcoming people into your world. So that is my superpower, and that is why I’m going to be the next winner of Drag Race UK.

• ‘RuPaul’s Drag UK’ Season 7 Cast Photos

  

  Image Credit: BBC / WOW Presents Plus

  Nyongbella (25, London)

  Where did your drag name come from?

  Well, I don’t know how it happened, but I ended up in hospital and it was a whole moment. I had blacked out, and as I was coming to, the nurses were saying ‘Nigh-yong- bella’ over and over. It sounded so dreamy and gorgeous, and I was like, ‘oh, I might just take this for my drag name’. Spoiler alert: it’s my actual name, I was born with it, but they were mispronouncing it!

  Why do you think you should be crowned the UK’s Next Drag Race Superstar?

  I don’t think, I KNOW, I should be the UK’s Next Drag Race Superstar because I will implement my brains and natural beauty on every single challenge. I can envision the fantasy now – RuPaul has announced my name and she’s in tears, the mascara is running, Raven is furious. Michelle is tearing up. The other queens are jealous and vexed, but they can eat it! Fireworks, confetti, and I’m there in a gorgeous crown looking beautiful – I know you can see it too!

• ‘RuPaul’s Drag UK’ Season 7 Cast Photos

  

  Image Credit: BBC / WOW Presents Plus

  Paige Three (28, London/Surrey)

  Where did your drag name come from?

  Paige Three, if you don’t know, is a play on words referencing the glamourous women who posed on page three of a tabloid newspaper. My take on that is to exude glamour, body and serve up a performance that everybody’s talking about!

  Why do you deserve to be crowned the UK’s Next Drag Race Superstar?

  I’ve waited a long time to be here. I have honed my craft, and I’m ready to do it even better! You’ve been turning those pages and now it’s time to stop turning because you’re on Paige Three, baby, and I’m ready to take this crown!

• ‘RuPaul’s Drag UK’ Season 7 Cast Photos

  

  Image Credit: BBC / WOW Presents Plus

  Pasty (30, Cornwall)

  Where did your drag name come from?

  Well, I’m from Cornwall, so obviously the name Pasty felt apt. I used to perform as ‘Pasty Palmer’ after the iconic Patsy Palmer, who plays Bianca in EastEnders, but then everyone called me Patsy, and expected me to shout ‘Ricky!’ so now, I’m just Pasty, and being named after a well-known savoury snack has served me well!

  A few years ago, I did a little burlesque number dressed as a sausage roll. It went viral and Kylie Minogue even saw it and “liked“ it! I think it probably amassed over a million views. So, I’m now known as the ‘Sausage Roll Queen’.

  Why do you deserve to be crowned the UK’s Next Drag Race Superstar?

  It’s the silly sausage roll season baby, and I’m ready to bring it home for Cornwall. Imagine a crown on top of a pasty, that’s literally amazing – as long as you don’t take a bite because it might crack your tooth!

• ‘RuPaul’s Drag UK’ Season 7 Cast Photos

  

  Image Credit: BBC / WOW Presents Plus

  Sally TM (27, South Shields)

  Where did your drag name come from?

  I love video games and Sally’s a non-playable character in the SimsTM  game. She was burning the town up, and I was just like, ‘this diva!’. At the time, I was an animator, and I loved designing weird outfits for her. It felt like a natural step to turn her (and myself) into a real life drag queen.  As the game has a famous trademark, I thought that it would be quite camp to have the capital letters ‘TM’ as my surname – and so now I’m an original character. Do NOT steal!

  Why do you deserve to be crowned the UK’s Next Drag Race Superstar?

  Because no-one does it like Sally TM. I’m a true original. It’s like I’ve been carved from the stars and sent down to Earth. I’m here to prove that the weird and creative girls can get it done. Let’s go!

• ‘RuPaul’s Drag UK’ Season 7 Cast Photos

  

  Image Credit: BBC / WOW Presents Plus

  Silllexa Diction (26, Leeds)

  Why do you deserve to be crowned the UK’s Next Drag Race Superstar

  Honestly, it has been a crazy fever dream getting here. I am the first Leeds girl on Drag Race, and it just feels correct. There’s no girl like me in Leeds, let alone the world. You don’t really get many gorgeous, stunning, beautiful, conceptual queens that are also funny. I think that’s why Ru chose me to be here. I’ve graced the Earth with my presence. I’ve floated down from above, and I’m here to make you chuckle and laugh.

• ‘RuPaul’s Drag UK’ Season 7 Cast Photos

  

  Image Credit: BBC / WOW Presents Plus

  Tayris Mongardi (27, Brighton)

  How would you describe your drag?

  My drag in its truest form is a celebration of Black female pop culture. I love Janet Jackson, Beyonce, Megan Thee Stallion, Doechii, Nicki Minaj, Janelle Monáe, Grace Jones. They are powerful female icons who celebrate their Blackness, their identity, and their heritage. And all their influence funnels its way down to me in a little corset, a gorgeous wig, and a big old smile. For me, drag is all about Black queer joy.

• ‘RuPaul’s Drag UK’ Season 7 Cast Photos

  

  Image Credit: BBC / WOW Presents Plus

  Viola (22, Coventry)

  Where did your drag name come from?

  My drag name comes from the fact that I play the violin. Viola is another instrument very similar to a violin – and it’s a name!

  Why do you deserve to be crowned the UK’s Next Drag Race Superstar?

  I want to be the UK’s Next Drag Race Superstar because I’m fresh, I’m unique, and I’m super sophisticated. I cannot wait to show the whole world what kind of drag queen I am.

  This has been a long time coming babes, and I can’t wait to get stuck in. I look ready, I feel ready, I am ready.

• ‘RuPaul’s Drag UK’ Season 7 Cast Photos

  

  Image Credit: BBC / WOW Presents Plus

  Elle and you (22, Belfast)

  How long have you been doing drag?

  I’ve been doing drag for four years. The initial Elle experience, you will never see any footage, but it’s wild, but since then I have practised my makeup every day and perfected my craft. I like to say that my four year drag career is the equivalent of someone else’s ten-year career. I have worked so hard, and I have done everything I could have done to prepare me for this moment.

• ‘RuPaul’s Drag UK’ Season 7 Cast Photos

  

  Image Credit: BBC / WOW Presents Plus

  ‘RuPaul’s Drag UK’ Season 7 Cast Photos

What historical factors contributed to the shift in a Queen’s role from wielding absolute power to primarily symbolic influence?

Understanding “Royal” – Pronunciation & Meaning

Before diving into the fascinating world of Queens, let’s clarify the term “Royal” itself. many are curious about its pronunciation. As per resources like Baidu Zhidao, “Royal” is pronounced with a focus on distinct sounds: the ‘r’ with a vocal cord vibration, followed by the diphthong “ɒɪ” (similar to the ‘oy’ in ‘boy’), and concluding with “əl,” akin to the ‘all’ sound. Understanding this pronunciation – Royal (ˈrɔɪəl) – is the first step in appreciating its meaning. The core meaning, of course, relates to kings, queens, and everything associated with a monarchy. This article focuses on the Queens – those holding the royal title.

Defining the Scope: What Constitutes a Queen?

The title of “Queen” isn’t monolithic. It encompasses several distinct roles and origins. We’ll categorize them for clarity:

Queens Regnant: These are Queens who rule in their own right, inheriting the throne directly. Think Queen Elizabeth I, Queen Victoria, and currently, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark.

Queens Consort: These Queens gain their title through marriage to a King. They don’t inherit the throne but hold a notable position within the monarchy. Examples include Queen Camilla, Queen Letizia of Spain, and the late Princess Diana (as Queen Consort during her marriage to Charles).

Queen Mother: A Queen who is the mother of a reigning monarch. Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother is the most famous example.

Queen Dowager: A Queen whose husband, the King, has died.

Queens by Appointment: in some historical contexts, women have been granted the title of Queen by a King, though this is less common in modern monarchies.

A Global Roll Call: Notable Queens throughout History & Today

Let’s explore some prominent Queens, categorized for ease of reference. This isn’t exhaustive, but highlights key figures.

Historically Significant Queens

1. Cleopatra VII Philopator (Egypt): The last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt. Her political acumen and relationships with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony cemented her place in history.
2. Queen Isabella I of Castile (Spain): A pivotal figure in Spanish history, known for sponsoring Christopher Columbus’s voyage and completing the Reconquista.
3. Queen Victoria (United Kingdom): ruled for over 63 years, presiding over a period of immense British imperial expansion and societal change. Her reign defined an era.
4. Empress Wu zetian (China): the only female emperor in Chinese history, ruling during the Tang Dynasty.A controversial but undeniably powerful leader.
5. Queen Elizabeth I (England): Known as the “Virgin Queen,” she led England through a golden age of exploration, art, and military victories.

Contemporary Queens – Ruling Today

1. Queen Margrethe II (Denmark): The longest-reigning current monarch, known for her artistic talents and progressive views.
2. Queen Elizabeth II (United Kingdom – deceased*): While sadly no longer with us, her 70-year reign was the longest of any British monarch and a defining feature of the 20th and 21st centuries.
3. Queen Letizia (Spain): A former journalist, she brings a modern sensibility to the Spanish monarchy.
4. Queen Rania (Jordan): Known for her advocacy work in education, women’s empowerment, and interfaith dialog.
5. Queen Nanasipau’u Tuku’aho (Tonga): The Queen Consort of Tonga, playing a vital role in the nation’s cultural and social life.

The Evolving Role of the Queen: from Power to Influence

Historically, Queens often wielded significant political power, sometimes even absolute authority. Today, in most constitutional monarchies, the role of the