Strictly Come Dancing bosses are reportedly hoping to sign up two royal contestants to sashay onto the BBC ballroom floor for this year’s 20th-anniversary series.
As the next series of Strictly Come Dancing creeps closer, fans are beginning to wonder who will be sparkling in sequins and tangoing in fake tan later this year – and it could be a royal affair.
England world cup-winning rugby star Mike Tindall, 43, who is married to Princess Anne’s daughter Zara, and the Queen’s granddaughter, Lady Louise Windsor, 18, are said to be among BBC bosses’ top targets.
A source told The Sun : “The team are doing all they can. In the year of the Platinum Jubilee, it has been a real priority.”
“It would be an incredible coup to secure a royal.”
While the rugby star is said to have been on producers’ radars for some time, Lady Louise has gained further public attention during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
The other royal names churning around the Strictly rumour mill include model and socialite Lady Amelia Windsor, 26, who is the granddaughter of the Duke of Kent, The Sun claimed.
Claudia Winkleman’s half-sister Sophie, who shot to fame on Peep Show, is also said to be of interest. The actress married the Queen’s second cousin, Lord Fredrick Windsor, in 2009.
This comes after Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, have shared their "love" of Strictly Come Dancing amid speculation that they could host a round of the BBC show at Buckingham Palace.
The 73-year-old Prince of Wales is reportedly 'open' for the dance show to head to the royal residence, especially as Camilla, 74, is a 'superfan'.
It has been reported that the royals are in secret talks with show bosses and that the Queen has given her blessing for Strictly to rock up at the palace.
In a statement to The Mirror, representatives at Clarence House "declined to comment" on the rumours but did admit they "can confirm" that Charles and Camilla "love Strictly".
A source has told The Sun that the royals are "very much driving" the chance of Strictly coming to Buckingham Palace and that "the BBC couldn’t quite believe what was being offered."
The source added that if this was to get the green light, then it would be "TV dreamland" and would make "a wonderful spectacle".
It is believed that having the quarter of semi-finals of the show from the Queen's residence, it would be a fitting end to her Platinum Jubilee year.
As Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly return to host the next series of the show, the judging panel has been confirmed in recent weeks.
Strictly's Anton Du Beke will return as a judge for the upcoming series and beyond, after it was announced that original judge Bruno Tonioli has left the BBC show for good, having previously been replaced temporarily.
Anton will join usual judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Shirley Ballas as a new batch of celebrities take to the dance floor this autumn.
