Royal Family Honors Dolly Parton From Across The Pond With Touching Queen's Guard Tribute

Queen of Country Dolly Parton may have been synonymous with the South and, to an extent, the glitz and glamor of Hollywood, but she was truly a beloved figure the world over. And England's royal family just proved that by giving the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer a touching Queen's Guard tribute following Parton's death at the age of 80 earlier this week. The royal guard, presumably under the decree of King Charles III himself, paid tribute to Parton on Wednesday, August 26 by performing a horn rendition of her 1980 megahit "9 to 5" outside of Buckingham Palace in London. "9 to 5" is one of Parton's most famous songs. It was the first track in her extensive back catalog to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also served as the theme song for the 1980 film of the same name, securing Parton her first of two Oscar nominations for best original song in the process. 

Dolly Parton honored by royal family playing "9 to 5" outside Buckingham Palace. 🕊️ pic.twitter.com/AboBiGbSAf

— TMZ (@TMZ) August 26, 2026

Notably, the singer-songwriter has history with the royal family. Back in May 1977 — hot on the heels of her 18th solo album "New Harvest... First Gathering" — the country icon performed for Queen Elizabeth II as part of the late monarch's Silver Jubilee celebration. The Princess of Wales is also a fan of the "Jolene" hitmaker. In fact, Dolly Parton and Kate Middleton almost met up for tea, but it didn't work out. Unfortunately, the Grammy winner was unable to make the trip that time around, though Parton later invited the royals to her amusement park, Dollywood, as a way of cashing in that rain check.

The royal family's touching tribute to Dolly Parton not only serves to show their love and respect for someone whose talent transcended international borders but, in a way, it could also be seen as The Firm paying back a favor of their own. After all, when Queen Elizabeth II herself passed away, in September 2022, Parton took to social media to post her own tribute to the beloved monarch, in which she fondly reminisced about the time they crossed paths decades earlier. "I had the honor of meeting and performing for Queen Elizabeth II on my trip to London in 1977. She carried herself with grace and strength her entire life," the country icon noted on Instagram, adding, "May she rest in peace. My thoughts and prayers are with her family at this time."

Of course, while meeting a member of the royal family is obviously exciting, it can also be exceptionally nerve-racking — especially when the royal in question is the reigning Queen of England. To that end, Parton also opened up about the anxiety that surrounded the meeting during a February 2023 interview with Business Insider, confessing, "I was scared to death that I was not going to know how to curtsy, that I wasn't going to bend right."

However, according to the "I Will Always Love You" hitmaker, Her Majesty was nothing but understanding, friendly, and surprisingly down to earth. "Even though you have to do the protocol, you have to bow and all that, I could tell that she didn't care about that. That's just something she had to do. And if somebody made a mistake, it was OK," she revealed.