Michelle Dee gifts mom Melanie Marquez a replica of her Miss International crown
Melanie Marquez got a heartwarming blast from the past when her daughter, Michelle Dee, gifted her a replica of her original Miss International 1979 crown.
On her Instagram account, Michelle uploaded a video of herself surprising her mom in the car with a big red box.
As the veteran beauty queen opened it, she was shocked when she pulled out a familiar crown.
"Korona? 'Yung korona ko? Paano niyo nakuha?" she asked. "Ang ganda naman nito!"
The two then shared a loving embrace before Melanie put the crown on her head and took pictures.
"Everyday is Mother’s Day and everyday is your birthday! But years ago, my mom’s original Miss International 1979 crown was stolen. She never got it back," Michelle wrote in the caption.
"So after careful planning with Sir [Voltaire Tayag], I gave her something close enough.. a replica with details I never even knew about. To my REYNA! I love you," she continued.
Melanie won the Miss International 1979 crown when she was just 15 years old.
The crown at the time was the Mikimoto Crown, which contained 575.31 grams of 14k and 18k gold and 650 South Sea and Akoya pearls ranging from 3 to 18 mm in diameter. Miss International 1967 Mirta Massa of Argentina was the first woman to wear the crown, which was passed down to future titleholders until its retirement in 2019.
Michelle, for her part, is also an accomplished beauty queen, having been crowned Miss Universe Philippines 2023 and going on to represent the country on the global stage.