Country music legend Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80, and the singer once spoke about her near miss with the Royal Family, including her wish to host Prince William, Kate Middleton and their children at her Dollywood theme park.
The Islands in the Stream singer passed away in a Tennessee hospital following a brief battle with cancer. Stars including Elton John, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Oprah Winfrey have paid their respects, sharing personal memories of their time with the Queen of Country.
Turning Down Tea with Kate
Parton was forced to decline Kate's invitation to meet due to her demanding schedule, though she later expressed how much she would "love" to welcome Prince William, Kate and their children to Dollywood for a traditional Thanksgiving feast. She had turned down Kate's invitation to join her for tea at Buckingham Palace in 2023 while busy promoting Rockstar, which would prove to be her final studio album.
Speaking to Closer in 2024, Parton said: "Oh, I would absolutely love for them to come to Dollywood, that would be fantastic! The kids could go on all the rides, and we would treat them like royalty!
"I'd give Kate my mashed potatoes - I wouldn't put on any airs for them. I would just let them enjoy what we enjoy, and I'm sure that's the way they would want it. I would love to have those kids at Dollywood."
A Near Encounter with Royalty
Parton reflected on the near-encounter during a visit to the UK to promote her final album, admitting she adores London but rarely gets the opportunity to explore its sights. Speaking to Claudia Winkleman on BBC Radio 2, she said: "I love the people, the feel of London. I don't unfortunately [get time to sightsee]. I have in the past, me and my band, in a tour bus when we have it planned.
"This time, Lordy, I even got invited to have tea with Kate but I couldn't even go. 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."
Explaining why she was unable to meet the future queen, Parton joked: "But she wasn't going to promote my rock album so I had to say no."
Admiration for the Royal Family
Parton had previously expressed great admiration for the Royal Family. She performed at the late Queen's Silver Jubilee celebrations marking 25 years on the throne, back in 1977. Following the Queen's death in 2022, Parton recalled how she hadn't known she would be performing for the monarch until she was aboard the flight to the UK. She described it as "one of the biggest thrills of my life".
Parton said: "They kept it a surprise from me until I was on the flight over. When they told me on the plane I was appearing in front of the Queen, I just jumped up and down telling everyone.
"It's just one of the biggest thrills of my life. 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 was going to meet one."
Parton's death followed the passing of her beloved husband Carl Dean, who died last March after almost 59 years of marriage.
