Looking past all her accolades and accomplishments, Dolly Parton is more than a singer/songwriter, she is an icon. Behind songs like “Jolene” and “9 to 5”, she also branched into Hollywood with films like Rhinestone and Steel Magnolias. And although her first album came out in 1967, the singer continues to produce music. It seems that the star is so busy when it comes to her career and philanthropy that she had to turn down Kate Middleton.
When a member of the British royal family extends an invitation to meet, it is almost impossible to turn down. But in Dolly‘s case, she needed to take a rain check when the Princess of Wales offered to have tea with the iconic singer. While the pair didn’t get a chance to meet each other, Dolly insisted it was due to scheduling and not personal when speaking with Saga Exceptional. But make sure people know I didn’t turn the invitation down. I was honored and flattered that she even asked me.”
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With both Middleton and Dolly sharing a love for helping those in need, especially underprivileged children, the singer hoped to get another invitation in the future. Apparently, she would love to speak with the princess about her work with childhood development care in the U.K. It is hard to compete with Dolly when it comes to giving back. Thanks to her Imagination Library, over 200 million books have been given to children all around the world since its inception.
Not The First Member Of Royalty Dolly Parton Met
At the time of the invitation, Dolly admitted that her team focused on promoting her new album Rockstar and packed her schedule full of appearances. With no free time, the star felt bad for turning down Middleton but added, “I think she’s adorable and I hope someday to be able to sit down and have a good conversation with her.” Dolly even joked, “She wasn’t going to promote my rock album, so I had to say no.”
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Given Dolly’s time in the spotlight, the singer once shared words with Queen Elizabeth back in 1977 during her Silver Jubilee. She recalled the nerves she felt before meeting her, noting her fear of stumbling or messing up. Sharing that Queen Elizabeth was “very warm” and “very sweet”, the singer honored her when she passed away.
(Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for American Greetings)