Shirley Ballas said she would relish the prospect of a potential Strictly Come Dancing special at Buckingham Palace, and has already identified which members of the royal family have “twinkle toes”.

The former professional ballroom dancer and Strictly head judge said the long-running BBC entertainment show was something the royal family “all love to watch”, including the Queen.

Her comments come amid lingering reports that a live show will take place at the Buckingham Palace ballroom during either the semi or quarter-finals later this year.

Ballas told the PA news agency: “I think actually in the royal family there’s quite a few of them with twinkle toes.

Shirley Ballas
Shirley Ballas said she hoped there would be a Strictly heat at Buckingham Palace (David Parry/PA)

“I would like to probably think that Camilla (the Duchess of Cornwall) has got some good moves, and Sophie (the Countess of Wessex) for sure.

“She (Sophie) loves it. She actually came to one of the shows with her girls.

“So I think that deep down inside, she probably wants to have a little cha-cha-cha.”

Camilla featured during the 2017 Strictly Christmas special, dancing with judge Craig Revel Horwood and former professional dancer Brendan Cole at Buckingham Palace.

She also made a surprise appearance during the 2020 final, thanking the cast and crew for their work during the pandemic.

Strictly Come Dancing 2021
Last year’s Strictly judging panel, featuring (left-right) Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke (Kieron McCarron/BBC/PA)

The forthcoming series will be the first without show stalwarts including previous winners Aljaz Skorjanec and Oti Mabuse, while judge Bruno Tonioli has also left the show for good after 14 years.

Ballas said: “We have to remember in Strictly the wheels always turn, and when somebody goes off, somebody else comes on.

“We learn to love them. All we can do is wish everybody well who moves on to another career and welcome and embrace the new people that come on the show.

“But the show will continue no matter what – hopefully in Buckingham Palace.”