Magic Circle: First female president says role 'is an honour'

Megan Swann, who specialises in "environmental magic", is the youngest person to lead the historic society

A magician who has become the first female president of the Magic Circle says it is a "real honour" to have been given the role.

Megan Swann, who at the age of 28 also became the youngest person to lead the society, told the BBC it "means so much to be able to make history".

The organisation was founded in 1905 to promote and advance magic.

Ms Swan said she hoped her appointment would lead more women and young girls to practise the art.

The Magic Circle has some 1,500 members, including Dynamo, David Copperfield, the Prince of Wales and Sooty, all of whom had to prove their skill as magicians in order to join.

However, women have only been allowed to join in the past 30 years and just 5% of its members are female.

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Ms Swann said it was "just amazing" to be the president of an organisation "which I've grown up with and I absolutely love".

"To be able to make history during the process is just the icing on the cake," she added.

The 28-year-old, from Eltham in south-east London, said it all started when she was given a magic set at the age of five, but "the turning point was joining the Young Magicians Club" when she was 10.

She said her favoured style was "environmental magic" where she uses her skills to "tell people about environmental issues and more importantly what we can do to help".

Asked what she hoped to see happen during her presidency, the magician said she would "love to see more women and young girls getting into magic... in the magic community as a whole, not just the Magic Circle".

She also wanted to see the return of public performances as many magicians had resorted to carrying out virtual shows online during the pandemic.

"There's nothing compared to a live audience in my opinion, nothing like being on stage," she said.