In the Miss Turkey 2024 pageant, where former Miss Turkey winners Berfu Yenenler, Selen Soyder, Gizem Karaca, Amine Gülşe, and Neşe Erberk sat on the jury, 20 finalists competed to be named the most beautiful girl in Turkey. At the end of the night, İdil Bilgen, a graduate of Koç University Faculty of Medicine, was crowned the beauty queen of 2024.
While the decision sparked debate on social media, it was learned that İdil Bilgen's father, Levent Bilgen, has been serving as Turkey's Ambassador to Kyiv since October 2023. Before his appointment to Ukraine, Bilgen served as the Ambassador to Abu Dhabi (2014-2016). Prior to that, he held positions as Consul General in New York (2011-2014) and Founding Consul General in Toronto (2009-2011).
On the other hand, it was also learned that Levent Bilgen lost his wife, Ayşe Karahan Bilgen, in 2018. A photograph of the family at the funeral was found in the AA archive. Following the pageant where she was crowned the winner, İdil Bilgen had also mentioned that she lost her mother in 2018. İdil Bilgen also has a brother named Metehan Bilgen.
News Source: 12punto
