Country music legend Dolly Parton declined a personal invitation to have tea with Britain's Princess of Wales during a recent visit to the U.K. on a promotional tour for her new album, the singer has revealed.
Parton said she was invited to meet with Kate earlier this year when the star was in Europe promoting her first rock and roll album, Rockstar, and told the BBC in an interview which aired on Sunday that her busy schedule meant she couldn't fit a royal meeting in.
Speaking to interviewer BBC broadcaster Sally Traffic in a discussion recorded when Parton was in London, the star said she rarely had time to sight-see when visiting the city owing to her packed schedule.
"This time, Lordy...I even got invited to have tea with Kate and I felt so bad—I couldn't even go because they had all this stuff set up," she said of the princess, who married Prince William in 2011 and who took up a more senior role within the monarchy in 2022 when King Charles III acceded to the throne.
"I thought it was very sweet and nice of her to invite me to tea and one of these days I'm going to get to do that, that would be great."
Though apparently grateful for the invite, the star went on to joke that her work in promoting her album trumped an invite from a princess to a palace.
"She wasn't going to promote my rock album so I had to say no!" she laughed. "I hope she hears it though."
Parton has had several brushes with members of the British royal family throughout her career which has spanned six decades. This included a meeting with Queen Elizabeth II in the 1970s.
When the queen died on September 8, 2022, Parton was among the number of global figures to pay a personal tribute to Britain's longest-reigning monarch.
"I had the honor of meeting and performing for Queen Elizabeth II on my trip to London in 1977," the singer wrote on Instagram. "She carried herself with grace and strength her entire life. May she rest in peace. My thoughts and prayers are with her family at this time. Love, Dolly."
The tribute came just three months after the star had sent a public message of congratulations to the queen on the occasion of her historic Platinum Jubilee in June.
"I just wanted to say thank you for being wonderful and you are more than pearls, and you are more than platinum," she said in a video clip. "You have been a shining diamond in this world for so long and everybody loves you, and I will always love you too."
Dolly is not the only member of the Parton family to speak out about members of the royal family. Her younger sister, and fellow singer, Stella Parton, has spoken in defense of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on several occasions over the past three years.
In July 2022, Stella Parton told Newsweek that American's were "insulted and shocked" by the way Meghan in particular had been treated by the media and the monarchy, adding: "The British press, as well as the royals, need to clean up their own behavior instead of pointing fingers at Meghan."
Newsweek approached Kensington Palace via email for comment.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
