Dolly Parton declined an invitation to have tea with Catherine Middleton three years ago, according to an interview that has resurfaced in the wake of the country star’s death.
The Jolene hitmaker, who passed away peacefully in Nashville on Tuesday at the age of 80, was visiting the United Kingdom to promote her rock album Rockstar in 2023 when she reportedly turned down a meeting with the Princess of Wales.
Parton’s busy schedule meant that she was unable to accept the invitation, however the country star found the humour in the missed opportunity, sharing an alternate explanation in a radio interview.
Speaking on BBC Radio 2, the singer dubbed the Princess’ invite as “very sweet and nice”, adding that she hoped she would get another chance to have tea with the royal.
Parton then quipped: “She wasn’t going to promote my rock album, so I had to say no!”
While Parton and Princess Catherine never got the chance to rub shoulders, the 9 to 5 hitmaker did get the opportunity to meet the late Queen Elizabeth in 1977.
Parton, along with other major acts such as The Jackson 5 and David Soul, performed at the King’s Theatre in Glasgow as part of the long-reigning monarch’s Silver Jubilee.
She dubbed the experience “one of the biggest thrills of my life”.
In 2023, she revealed to Insider that she was “scared to death” that she was not going to know how to curtsy, however she was instantly put at ease by the Queen, who she described as “very warm, very sweet”.
“I could tell she was a very giving person,” she said, before adding: “And just meeting the Queen of England, just to meet a queen, it was amazing.”
This week, a spokesperson confirmed to People that Parton had died following a “brief battle with cancer”.
The type of cancer was not disclosed.
Parton was admitted to Nashville’s Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center last Friday, where she passed away four days later, the reps added.
Days earlier, she told People magazine she was dealing with unspecified health issues but planned to keep working.
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