Meet Angela Ponce, the first transgender contestant who will compete at Miss Universe

Angela Ponce (26), from Seville, will be representing her country at the global competition later this year after beating 22 other contestants to the Miss Spain crown.

"Bringing the name and colours of Spain before the universe is my great dream," she said after her win.

"My goal is to be a spokesperson for a message of inclusion, respect and diversity not only for the LGBTQ+ community but also for the entire world."

She previously competed to represented Spain at Miss World in 2015, but came second.

Miss Universe changed its minimum entry requirements in 2013 after aspiring beauty queen Jenna Talackova sued the organisation for not being able to compete in the Miss Canada pageant for being transgender. She sued the organisation for discrimination after being disqualified from the title in 2012.

Ms Ponce completed her transition in 2014 and she previously told Spanish newspaper 20 Minutos: "Society is not educated for diversity, it's what made me go public, I mean, here I am and I'm not weird, I just have a different story, a woman who came to life differently but I'm a woman."