First ever Who Wants To Be a Millionaire jackpot winner’s million-pound question resurfaces

Judith Keppel was the first-ever person to win the million-pound cash prize on Who Wants To Be a Millionaire – and still to this day she’s the only woman who has ever won it.

Winning the ITV show back in 2000, the garden designer became the 12th winner in the world, and was at the time “struggling for money”. Judith, who was 58 at the time and in desperate need of cash, revealed she had spent about £100 on phoning the quiz show 50 times to secure her place, with BT even ringing her to ask her whether she realised her phone bills were riding.

Nevertheless, Judith went on to win the show, with then-host Chris Tarrant exclaiming “You’re amazing” after being revealed as the winner. Judith, who is actually the third cousin of Queen Camilla, can trace her ancestry back to the Royal Family – which just so happened to be the theme of her jackpot question.

So what question was it that bagged her the million-pound prize? Read on to see, if in her position, you also would have made history.

The question was: Which King was married to Eleanor of Aquitaine? A – Henry I, B – Henry II, C – Richard I, D – Henry V. You can find the answer at the bottom of the article.

An incorrect answer would have sent her winnings plunging down to £32,000, but luckily she chose the correct answer. After winning, the mum-of-three, who attended Alcoholics Anonymous after the divorce from her husband in 1980, celebrated with a cola and enrolled on a four-day money management course.

Judith went on to become a team captain on BBC’s Eggheads, appearing regularly from 2003 until her retirement in 2022. Discussing her choice to retire, the then-80-year-old explained: “I have done it for 19 years and my memory is definitely not what it was. I have noticed that I can’t learn as well as I did. So I just thought it was time to go.” The star added participating on the show had been ‘great fun’ for her.

Answer: B – Henry II

Did you get the question correctly? Let us know in the comment section below.