Nadiya Bychkova claims senior royal wants to join cast of Strictly Come Dancing

Strictly Come Dancing star Nadiya Bychkova said the Princess Royal wants to appear in the BBC flagship dance competition.

Professional dancer Bychkova has claimed that Anne told her last month “at a ballet event” that she would like to join the cast of Strictly Come Dancing.

“She is a Strictly fan, and she wants to go on the show — she told me,” 34-year-old Bychkova told the Sun newspaper.

“She did say that.

“I think she would be good — there’s a lot of personality there, isn’t there?”

It comes after the Queen announced “I’m one of Strictly’s greatest fans” after star Johannes Radebe presented her with a pair of steel-shod shoes at an event in Cambridge in February.

Speaking on the royal’s love for Strictly, Bychkova added: “They love it, and they watch it all the time.

“Whenever you see royals at events, they all know what’s going on.

“I’m not from this country so I don’t know all the royal etiquette, but you learn through situations, and I just try to be (as) respectful as I can when I meet the royals.

“It just blows your mind to think how big this show is.”

Bychkova insinuated she would put a good word in for Anne to show bosses.

“We get that privilege, and because of the show, we end up in circles with celebrities who love Strictly.

“So whenever we speak with the producers I say, ‘What about this person?, or, ‘What about that person?’.”

This year will mark 20 years since Strictly Come Dancing came to TV screens.