Sweden, and their Eurovision entrant Loreen, has been announced as the winner of Eurovision 2023 after their song 'Tattoo' received 583 points in the grand final. As hosts Graham Norton and Hannah Waddingham read out the public votes, Loreen broke down in tears at her victory.
Loreen, 39, took to the stage at Liverpool Arena, where she was handed the iconic glass microphone.
© GettyDesigned by artist Kjell Engman, the prestigious trophy has been awarded to every Eurovision winner since 2008, starting with Dima Bilan, who represented Russia.
It is Loreen's second win as she also won the 2012 Eurovision song contest with the pop song 'Euphoria,' with a total of 372 points. She is the second singer to ever win the contest twice; Irish singer Johnny Logan won in 1980 and 1987.
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© GettyKaarija of Finland came second with 'Cha Cha Cha," and Noa Kirel of Israel were third with their track 'Unicorn' .
As fans of the song contest will know, the winning act does not receive a cash prize.
© GettyHowever, the resulting fame and publicity have historically led to an increased net worth and further opportunities in the music industry.
This was the case for the 1974 winners – supergroup Abba – who became one of the best-selling acts in pop music history., and Celine Dion, who won in 1988 for Switzerland.
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© Dominic LipinskiAdditionally, the winning country is given the honour of hosting the next Eurovision, which means that the 2024 song contest will take place in Sweden next year.
Naturally, some viewers questioned why this year's competition had taken place in the UK, considering Kalush Orchestra's win in 2022.
© PAAlthough the Ukrainian rap group was crowned victorious, the country ruled that they would not be able to host the event due to the ongoing conflict there.
Instead, the UK, as the second-place country, hosted on behalf of Ukraine.
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© GettyEarlier in the show, fans had watched as 26 countries, including Switzerland, France, Finland and more battled it out. Among this year's most memorable performances were Finland and France.
Another of our favourite performances was given by the UK's representative, Mae Muller. The 25-year-old took the stage with her breakup single, 'I Wrote A Song,' but she came second last.
© PAAhead of her show-stopping performance in the final, Mae said: "I'm so excited to participate in Eurovision this year and represent the UK! I've loved watching Eurovision all my life, so to compete in such a massive music competition is simply brilliant.
"I'm a huge fan of so many of the artists that have found success at Eurovision, from Abba to Måneskin! Sam Ryder was so amazing last year and proved the UK can be back on the left-hand side of the leader board!"
Fans were also treated to a surprise performance by none other than the Princess of Wales.
As viewers tuned into the grand final on Saturday evening, they were treated to a video of Princess Kate and her incredible piano skills. Filmed delivering an instrumental piano performance as part of the opening sequence of this year's Eurovision Song Contest, the royal could be seen performing in the Crimson Drawing Room of Windsor Castle.
The opening film introduced last year's champions, Kalush Orchestra, who performed their winning entry, Stefania, from the heart of Kyiv, Ukraine.
Throughout the performance, they were joined by a range of British contributors, including The Princess of Wales, Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, Sam Ryder, Ms Banks, Ballet Black, Bolt Strings, and Joss Stone.
© Alex BramallThe instrumental piano performance given by the Princess was composed by Joe Price and Kojo Samuel.
It appears that Princess Kate had chosen to wear a Jenny Packham gown in blue in a symbolic nod to Ukraine, who should have been hosting this year's contest. As a result of the country's ongoing conflict with Russia, Eurovision 2023 was moved to the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool city centre.
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