Dolly Parton Recently Turned Down Kate Middleton’s Invitation for Tea in London

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 29 August 2023

Once upon a time, the Queen of Country had to turn down the future Queen of England’s invitation for tea—and we can’t believe that there was ever a moment where Dolly Parton and Kate Middleton in the same room could have actually happened. (And can it still be so?)

In a recent appearance on BBC Radio 2, and per Us Weekly, Parton shared of a recent visit to London that “This time, Lordy, I even got invited to have tea with Kate, but I couldn’t even go,” she said. “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.” Parton then jokingly added “But she wasn’t going to promote my rock album, so I had to say no.”

Once again, don’t mind me as I pick the blown-up pieces of my mind off of the floor…

Kate Middleton at Wimbledon in a mint green blazer

Kate has had tea with several A-listers in the past, like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, for example; but, much to Parton’s chagrin—and while she was appreciative of the invitation, she said—Parton didn’t have any time to explore while she was across the pond. “I love the people, the feel of London,” she said. “I don’t unfortunately [get the time to sightsee]. I have in the past, me and my band, in a tour bus when we have it planned.”

Though Parton hasn’t gotten to meet the Princess of Wales (yet), she has performed for the late Queen Elizabeth on the 1977 occasion of her Silver Jubilee. “I was scared to death that I was not going to know how to curtsy, that I wasn’t going to bend right, but [the Queen] was just very warm, very sweet, and I could tell she was a very giving person,” Parton said. “And just meeting the Queen of England, just to meet a Queen, it was amazing.”

Last December, Parton was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame after earlier in the year attempting to remove herself from consideration for the honor after she felt she hadn’t “earned that right.” Her induction inspired her to do a rock album—something she always dreamed of doing—and that album, Rockstar, comes out in November. “I am very honored and privileged to have worked with some of the greatest iconic singers and musicians of all time, and to be able to sing all the iconic songs throughout the album was a joy beyond measure,” Parton said in a statement. “I hope everybody enjoys the album as much as I’ve enjoyed putting it together.”

A Queen, indeed.

Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.

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