The royal family member tipped for Strictly Come Dancing this year

A member of the royal family has been tipped to be among the star line up for the 2021 series of the BBC dance contest. 

• Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas has hinted that royal family member, Sophie Wessex, is being considered for the 2021 series of the star-studded dance competition. 
• Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, is married to the Queen's youngest son, Prince Edward, and lives at Bagshot Park with him and their children, Lady Louise Windsor and James Viscount Severn.
• This royal news comes after it was revealed that Prince Charles' horrendous near death experience was the most Googled thing about him in the past year—but you may have never even heard of it. 

Ballroom dancing pro Shirley shared her hopes that Sophie Wessex would become the first royal family member to join the Strictly ranks in a bid to win the coveted glitter ball trophy. 

Shirley, who has been recovering from an ankle injury since she was rushed to hospital in lockdown last year, appeared on stage at her live show entitled 'An Evening With Shirley Ballas' last weekend. 

Admitting that she is keen to see the Queen's daughter-in-law on the Beeb when Strictly returns later this year and revealing that Sophie is a big fan of the show, the Express reports that Shirley said, "I would love to see a member of the royal family on Strictly this year. 

"Sophie Wessex, she is the one. I know she loves the show and she's been at the studio a couple of times and watched the show. She'd be amazing, she is an avid fan of Strictly."

Adding that she already has the perfect partner for Sophie in mind, Shirley revealed that she can already see the Countess boogying with Johannes Radebe, who was paired up with Caroline Quentin for the 2020 series.

"I'd put Sophie with somebody like Johannes because he's such a gentleman, such a talent and a brilliant choreographer. I think those two would really get on well together."

While Sophie, who recently opened up about her experience with the menopause in a conversation not had publicly by a royal, would be the first member of The Firm to compete in Strictly, she wouldn't be the first to make an appearance on the glitzy show.

Last year, both Duchess Camilla and Prince Harry made virtual cameos, leaving royal fans thrilled. 

The Duchess of Cornwall shocked viewers with her surprise moment on the Strictly final, with royal insider revealing that she "leapt at the chance" to get involved, having been an avid Strictly fan for years. 

"Camilla’s team rang long before filming began and said she was a massive fan — and wanted to be on the show," a source told The Sun at the time. 

Thanking the stars of the program for creating the incredible series during the tight UK Covid restrictions of December 2020, Camilla said in her pre-recorded clip, "I'd like, on behalf of everybody who watches Strictly, to say an enormous thank you to everybody who's been involved in this production in this particularly difficult year.

"You have given everybody so much pleasure and you've uplifted the nation."

Prince Harry also popped up during the series to wish his close friend JJ Chalmers the best of luck, speaking to him and his partner Amy Dowden via video call. 

Harry and JJ met through the Duke of Sussex's creation of the Invictus Games, a sporting event for injured military veterans. 

"When I first met JJ he was a shell of himself but then to see you shine through Invictus and to be yourself again, that was the start of an amazing journey," Prince Harry said during his sweet tribute to JJ, who suffered life-changing injuries while serving in Afghanistan.