Strictly Come Dancing is set to celebrate a very special year as it marks 20 years since it first launched in 2004. As such, we are expecting many special nods to the milestone anniversary - and it sounds like the series is hoping to give the show the royal treatment!
According to The Mail on Sunday, it has been reported that Strictly will be screened live from the ballroom at Buckingham Palace, and that Queen Camilla will be making an appearance on the show. However, it is not known whether the plans will be going ahead following King Charles’ recent cancer diagnosis.
It is no secret that Camilla is a huge fan of the hit dancing competition, as she recently admitted to Johannes Radebe during an outing that she is “one of Strictly's greatest fans”.
Back in April 2022, she also told 2021 winner Rose Ayling-Ellis: “I don't know how you did all those dances,” before revealing that she voted for Rose to win.
The Queen met Johannes back in February during a session where he and Love Island star Tasha Ghouri were coaching Royal Voluntary Service (RVS) staff and volunteers on the dance floor. After the dancing pro gifted her a pair of steel-shod shoes, she said: “I would love to do it because I’ve always wanted to tap dance. So in my dotage perhaps it’s something I could take up.”
She added: “[Dancing] is the best exercise for everybody and it's a wonderful way of enjoying yourself.”
Tess Daly has also spoken about how much Camilla loves the show. Chatting to HELLO! In 2019, she explained: “Camilla is a fan, she has been to visit us in the studio before and she spent half a day with us and it was wonderful, she was absolutely part of the whole process during the dress rehearsals, at the judge's desk, handling the panels and she really enjoyed her day.”
Camilla isn’t the only one who has recently been quizzed about Strictly, as Michael Sheen was asked if he would take part in the anniversary year during The Assembly, a one-off show where the actor was quizzed by a group of neurodivergent and autistic interviewees.
Explaining why he probably wouldn’t be taking part, he explained: “It’s an amazing show, isn’t it? It is fantastic. I would be such a terrible dancer on it though. Maybe I’m not brave enough to go on it. I’ll be honest with you, I don’t like doing things if I’m not very good at it. It makes me feel too vulnerable and insecure.
“It takes a lot of guts to go on there and I’m not sure I want to show people something that I’m not very good at!”