Queen Camilla encouraged to keep her distance as Strictly Come Dancing scandal continues

The royal, who is an ardent fan of the show, has taken a step back as the BBC struggles to defend its most famous programme

The royal, who is an ardent fan of the show, has taken a step back as the BBC struggles to defend its most famous programme

Tatler
OPEN NAVIGATION MENU
BYSTANDER
STYLE
BEAUTY
ROYALS
FEATURES
ADDRESS BOOK
TRAVEL
SCHOOLS

All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.

ROYALS
Queen Camilla encouraged to keep her distance as Strictly Come Dancing scandal continues
The royal, who is an ardent fan of the show, has taken a step back as the BBC struggles to defend its most famous programme
23 July 2024
Image may contain Person Adult Accessories Jewelry Necklace and Child
CLARENCE HOUSE IS REPORTEDLY KEEN FOR QUEEN CAMILLA TO STEP AWAY FROM THE SCANDAL SURROUNDING THE POPULAR BBC SHOW WPA Pool/Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

Not since the furore surrounding former This Morning presenter Philip Schofield has a much-loved British TV show been at the centre of so much scandal. BBC classic Strictly Come Dancing is under fire, as numerous controversies surrounding the treatment of contestants are beginning to surface. One fan bound to be reading the ever-more negative headlines? Queen Camilla.

A regular watcher of the series, which has been running for 20 years, the Queen has hosted a palace tea party for Strictly, been in the audience, and even filmed a video message for one memorable final in 2020. A keen dancer, the Queen attends Silver Swans – classes for elderly ballet dancers run by the Royal Academy of Dance – and professed herself earlier this year to be ‘one of Strictly’s greatest fans’. No wonder Strictly judge Craig Revel Horwood (with whom Camilla has even shared a dance) has said that he would gladly welcome her onto the judging panel.

The Queen is not the only royal to be an avid Strictly fan: Sophie Wessex and Zara Tindall have also been spotted at recordings, and a royal mini-show for Children In Need has been discussed. But as the bullying allegations connected to the show mount, Clarence House is said to be keen for Camilla, and the rest of the royal family, to distance itself from one of the BBC’s most lucrative programmes.

In this new row, several dancers have been accused of inappropriate behaviour while training their celebrity partners for the show. TV star Zara McDermott has called her training sessions with Graziano Di Prima (who has since been let go from the show) ‘incredibly distressing’, describing incidents where she was kicked and screamed at. Actress Amanda Abbington, who withdrew from last year’s series, has accused her partner Giovanni Pernice (who has also quit the show) of behaviour she deemed ‘unnecessary, abusive, cruel and mean’, while Laura Whitmore has admitted she cried every day during her tenure.