King Charles will open Buckingham Palace much more to the public than in the reign of the Queen – and may even welcome Strictly Come Dancing to the ballroom, according to reports.
The stately home is currently undergoing a ten-year £369million renovation, due to be completed in 2027.
In June the then Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall were said to be in secret discussions with BBC executives to host a live episode of Strictly – and had been granted permission from the Queen to do so.
The King, 74, and Queen Consort, 75, were even rumoured to have a dance together planned.
The plans to host the Strictly quarter or semi-final in the palace’s ballroom were shelved for this year but a palace source has confirmed the plans could be re-visited next year.
Camilla is said to be a ‘massive fan’ of the show and even ‘votes every week’ for her favourites.
The plans to host the Strictly quarter or semi-final in the palace’s ballroom were shelved for this year but a palace source has confirmed the plans could be re-visited next year. Pictured: The King dancing with Bridget Tibbs during a Jubilee tea dance in May
The royal broadcast may happen next year. Pictured: Camilla, Queen Consort, dancing with Strictly’s Brendan Cole
The episode could be hosted in the ballroom of the palace (pictured is the State Banquet table in the ballroom)
Camilla is said to be a ‘massive fan’ of the show and even ‘votes every week’ for her favourites (pictured are Tony Adams and Katya Jones in this year’s series)
A palace source told the Sun: ‘That is still on the table and a clear indication of how ambitiously they are thinking.
‘The King sees the palace as somewhere that should be more open to the public and particularly to celebrate national events, not as a mausoleum.
‘The King and Queen Consort both like the idea that more members of the British public are involved.’
The King is also said to hope to open the royal residence’s doors to the public much more than in the reign of his mother the Queen.
Buckingham Palace will continue to be the hub for garden parties, state banquets and other official business – but may now hold more receptions for the public and events for public figures.
The ten-week-long opening for tourists to see the State Rooms over the summer may also be extended.
EastEnders’ Rose Ayling-Ellis, who won the 2021 series of Strictly Come Dancing with her professional dance partner Giovanni Pernice, previously revealed Prince Charles and Camilla voted for her on Strictly and introduced themselves in British Sign Language.
Beaming: EastEnders’ Rose Ayling-Ellis has revealed Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall voted for her on Strictly Come Dancing
Charles and Camilla have been in talks before to bring Strictly Come Dancing to Buckingham Palace
Their primary residence will continue to be Clarence House (pictured) – just 400 yards away from Buckingham Palace and where they’ve resided for 19 years
A two-minute video shared on the Royal Family Instagram account in 2020 revealed how 19th century wallpaper is being removed ‘piece by piece’ from the Yellow Drawing Room as part of work in the East Wing. Pictured, the Yellow Drawing Room in 2018 ahead of the work
The Yellow Drawing Room was emptied as part of the decant of the East Wing ahead of the restoration work. Pictured, the room in 2020. The wallpaper has been partially removed
She said: ‘So we had Camilla and Charles come to visit and they tried out acting, they acted for a bit and we played our characters and meeting them and it was really really special.
‘Apparently, Camilla is a big fan of Strictly. She said she voted for me every week, and all her children voted for me every week.’
The soap star added: ‘That is incredible – the Royal family voted for me, that’s just mad!’
Rose also revealed she felt ‘touched’ when Charles and Camilla introduced themselves in British Sign Language (BSL).
She said: ‘Both of them came up to me and the first thing they did, they signed good morning to me.
Rose was moved by the sweet gesture: ‘I was really, really touched by that and I was really impressed that they knew how to sign good morning.’
The King has already hosted four events in the palace, welcoming 1,200 people, since becoming monarch.
The royal couple are splitting their time between Clarence House, Windsor Castle and Sandringham while the renovations are being completed, and are said to not be moving into the palace for at least five years .
The couple have lived in the five-bedroom Clarence House, which is just 400 yards away from the palace, for 19 years.
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk