Loreen of Sweden has won the Eurovision Song Contest for the second time, this time with her soaring pop anthem Tattoo.
In a nail-biting vote, the star, who last won the tournament in 2012, defeated Finland’s Käärijä.
Mae Muller of the United Kingdom finished 25th, one place above the bottom, failing to emulate Sam Ryder’s victory from previous year.
The Princess of Wales also made an unexpected appearance, playing the piano with last year’s champions, Kalush Orchestra.
Loreen is only the second person – and the first woman – to win Eurovision twice, after Johnny Logan of Ireland.
“This is so overwhelming,” she exclaimed as she accepted the award. “I’m overjoyed. “I’m so grateful.”
“In my wildest dreams, I didn’t think this would happen.”
Sweden’s triumph means that it will host the competition the following year, on the 50th anniversary of Abba’s historic victory with Waterloo in 1974.
However, Ireland exited the competition at the semi-final stage for the sixth year in a row, a result described as “devastating” by their head of delegation.
The top three acts this year were:
1. Loreen – Tattoo (583 points) from Sweden
2. Käärijä – Cha Cha Cha (526 points) Finland
3. Noa Kirel – Unicorn (362 points) from Israel
Kaarija’s song won the popular vote but not the jury vote.
Mae Muller only scored 24 points, dropping the United Kingdom to the bottom of the rankings. “Not the result we hoped for,” she tweeted following the show.
“I know I joke a lot, but we really put our hearts and souls into the last few months,” she explained. “Congratulations to all of you; I’ll never forget this journey, and I love you all.”
