Miss Bermuda is holding a crisis meeting with the organiser of the Island's annual beauty pageant tonight to settle a string of controversial disputes.

Joanne Darrell, 21, will sit down with Zeth Landy, who runs the Miss Bermuda Pageant, as the pair seek to lift the gloom hovering over the beauty queen's crown.

The new Miss Bermuda first hit the headlines for the wrong reasons in March, when she was stopped from competing in Miss Universe because of sponsorship problems.

Miss Darrell would have earned a $3,000 shopping spree in New York as part of her preparations for the pageant, had she been allowed to compete.

And it is understood she is also angry that her sponsors -- Cabelo Hair and Beauty -- have not had their name emblazoned on her banner.

Sources close to the new beauty queen said she was told she could have a box to carry her crown at events, but instead has to carry it herself.

And Miss Darrell is still waiting to receive seven prizes, each valued at $300, from pageant judges.

The new Miss Bermuda has not threatened to give up her crown because of the disagreements.

But it is believed she is growing more and more frustrated that she is not getting due recognition -- and has privately expressed concerns about engagements being called off.

Miss Darrell, a former Warwick Academy student now studying in Canada, is now believed to be considering hiring a business manager.

She told The Royal Gazette last night: "I have a meeting tomorrow evening with Mr. Landy and I would rather not say anything until after that meeting is completed.

"It would probably be in my best interests not to comment at this stage.'' Mr. Landy also refused to comment when contacted yesterday, although he said it had been agreed that prizes would not be released until the end of the year.

Miss Darrell, a former Police Cadet, was originally timetabled for a hectic schedule as a new ambassador for Bermuda after being made the Island's beauty queen last December.

Miss Bermuda to meet with pageant chief She created a major impression when she spoke to students at the William Davis School in Cambridge, Ontario, last month.

And the model has also been working with the Canadian office of Bermuda's Tourism Department and is due to make several personal appearances for a Canadian clothing firm.

But several engagements have had to be called off because of recent hiccups.

The latest came this weekend, when St. Brendan's Hospital invited her to attend their Mardi Gras party.

A spokeswoman said: "Joanne Darrell was scheduled to appear but sent her apologies that she was unable to make it. We're not sure what the reason was but we did receive her apologies and we're grateful for that.'' Miss Darrell, who is engaged, was discovered by Mr. Landy when she was 15, standing outside the Trattoria take-out.

She began searching for funding for her modelling career during breaks from college.

Her parents and fiance have made their own donations, a trashathon was organised to raise more cash and Cabelo Hair and Beauty became her official sponsors.

But she has not met with Mr. Landy recently.

And he revealed in March that a "mutual decision'' had been reached with Miss Universe officials not to send Miss Bermuda for the May 11 extravaganza in Hawaii.

He added that the Bermuda contest would continue, but said: "Pageants are a business and there is a lot of politics involved.

"Bermuda is not ready for the politics. I'm not going to send the girls out to the wolves.''