Dolly Parton, the country music legend who died on Tuesday at the age of 80 following a brief battle with cancer, met Queen Elizabeth II in 1977 and later turned down tea with Princess Catherine in 2023.
Parton travelled to Britain in 1977 and performed at a Royal Gala performance at the King's Theatre in Glasgow on May 30, as part of celebrations marking the monarch's Silver Jubilee. The star-studded line-up included The Jackson 5, Ronnie Corbett and David Soul.
For the Tennessee-born singer, who grew up as one of 12 children in a one-room cabin, meeting a real-life Queen proved particularly poignant.
Meeting the Queen
Recalling the moment she discovered she would be appearing before the monarch, Parton said: "When they told me on the plane I was appearing in front of the Queen, I just jumped up and down telling everyone."
She described the meeting as "one of the biggest thrills of my life". Parton recalled thinking: "When I was a little girl, I grew up in a world of kings and queens and princes and princesses in fairy tales. Now I'm going to meet one."
Excitement was accompanied by nerves, with Parton later admitting she had been particularly worried about mastering royal protocol. Speaking in 2023, she said: "I was scared to death that I was not going to know how to curtsy, that I wasn't going to bend right, 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."
Tribute to the late Queen
When Queen Elizabeth II died aged 96 in September 2022, Parton joined famous faces around the world in paying tribute to Britain's longest-reigning monarch. She shared a photograph of their meeting and wrote: "I had the honour of meeting and performing for Queen Elizabeth II on my trip to London in 1977." She added that the late Queen "carried herself with grace and strength her entire life."
Turning down tea with Princess Catherine
Parton's royal connections did not end with Elizabeth II. While visiting Britain in 2023 to promote her rock album Rockstar, Parton revealed she had received an invitation to meet Princess Catherine for tea.
Her packed promotional schedule meant she was unable to accept. Speaking on BBC Radio 2, Parton said she thought the invitation was "very sweet and nice" and hoped they would eventually get another opportunity to meet.
She then joked: "She wasn't going to promote my rock album, so I had to say no!"
