Why this Strictly Come Dancing star was at the Buckingham Palace State Banquet last night

Last night King Charles and the Queen consort Camilla hosted a celebratory state banquet. A number of prominent celebrities were invited, including a beloved Strictly Come Dancing favorite.

• On Tuesday, November 22, 2022, the Royal Family hosted the President of South Africa at Buckingham Palace.
• In celebration of this state visit, senior royals attended a State Banquet in celebration of the President's arrival.
• In other royal news, The special reason Kate, Camilla, and Sophie all wore the same brooches at the State Banquet revealed. 

Strictly Come Dancing star, Johannes Radebe, was invited to a state banquet at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday night. 

The star revealed this royal engagement on his social media as he shared an image of himself in white tie, with a black tuxedo jacket and a white bow tie. The professional dancer also shared an image of his invite which he received from the palace. 

The invite read, "The Lord Chamberlain has received His Majesty's command to invite Mr. Johannes Radebe to a State Banquet to be given at Buckingham Palace by The King and The Queen Consort in honour of The President of the Republic of South Africa and Dr Tshepo Motsepe on Tuesday, 22nd November 2022, at 8.30pm."

But why exactly was the dancer invited?

Johannes was one of the many guests invited to the State Banquet to originate from South Africa. As the royals were hosting the President of South Africa, it is typical that the invitations to the banquet are extended to the diplomatic corps, members of the government, and other figures connected with the visiting nation. This includes South African celebrities who are well-established in the UK.

Since coming to the UK show, Strictly Come Dancing in 2018, Johannes has become a well-loved celebrity and was even made history as part of the first male same-sex pairing in the history of the UK show's format. 

Johannes has also established links with royalty in the past few years, and this state banquet was actually not the first time the dancer has attended and event at Buckingham Palace.

Back in May, Johannes revealed that that he was invited by the Earl of Wessex to give a speech to youngsters undertaking the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award. The caption of the post read, "I want to thank His Royal Highness the Earl of Wessex for hosting this very special event and The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award for inviting me. We got to celebrate young phenomenal and resilient Gold @dofeuk award achievers, surrounded by family and friends - it was truly a magnificent afternoon, I'm honored. 🙏🏾"

The South African dancer was invited as a guest speaker to this event and delighted the Duke of Edinburgh award winners with his inspirational words. 

"If I can make history by slaying the stage in heels, a fan and a thousand sequins, just imagine what you can do. This, my darlings, is just the beginning," said the dancer at this royal event.