Dolly Parton Was 'Flattered' To Be Invited For Tea By Kate Middleton Despite Turning Her Down

Dolly Parton was a legend, if there ever was one, and the country music superstar's death on August 25, at 80 years old, devastated millions across the world. Parton was a beloved figure, and not just for her fellow Americans — even the British royal family adored her. Catherine, Princess of Wales, even once invited the "Jolene" songstress for tea! Sadly, Parton couldn't accept the invitation, but it wasn't because she didn't want to meet with the royal.

Parton revealed this incredibly interesting tidbit in an interview with BBC Radio 2 (via Hello!) in 2023. "I even got invited to have tea with Kate and I felt so bad, I couldn't even go," she shared. The reason? Her schedule was absolutely packed with promotional events for her newly released album, "Rockstar." "I thought it was very sweet and nice of her to invite me, and one of these days I'm going to get to do that — that would be great," Parton said, quipping that, sadly, tea with Catherine "wasn't going to promote my rock album so I had to say no." Despite having had to decline the royal invitation, Parton told Saga Exceptional that she was incredibly "honoured and flattered" that someone like Catherine wanted to have a chat over tea.

There definitely were no hard feelings from the royals' side. While Hollywood reacted to Parton's heartbreaking death, the royal family paid a special tribute of their own on August 26 during the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace. The Band of the Coldstream Guards played Parton's legendary hit "9-5" as moved onlookers watched. The royal family shared the rendition to their Instagram page, captioning it with a reference to another of her hits: "Remembering the late, great Dolly, who brought joy, comfort and inspiration to so many... We will always [heart] you."

When Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her Silver Jubilee in 1977, the palace arranged for Dolly Parton to perform during the festivities, and the monarch met with the country legend backstage afterward. Parton recalled the significant moment during a 2023 interview with Business Insider, admitting that she was a bit of a nervous wreck ahead of the royal event. "I was scared to death that I was not going to know how to curtsy, that I wasn't going to bend right," she admitted. "But she was just very warm, very sweet, and I could tell she was a very giving person. And just meeting the Queen of England, just to meet a queen, it was amazing."

In an interview with the Glasgow Times, Parton shared how excited she was at the prospect of meeting the monarch, describing it as "one of the biggest thrills of my life." While she didn't perform at the queen's Platinum Jubilee in 2022, she did record a video message for her, and in the background was a framed photograph from the day she first met the queen in 1977. Clearly, that moment had really meant a great deal to her. "You have been a shining diamond in this world for so long and everybody loves you. And I will always love you too," Parton said in the video message, per Hello!.

After Queen Elizabeth II's heartbreaking death in 2022, the "Coat of Many Colors" singer honored the monarch in an Instagram post, which included a black-and-white snap of their first meeting. In her tribute, Parton wrote, "She carried herself with grace and strength her entire life. May she Rest In Peace."