Inside Dolly Parton’s ‘Surprising’ Connection To The British Royal Family
She famously met the Late Queen in 1977 and invited Princess Catherine to eat mashed potatoes in Dollywood
The world was rocked when Dolly Parton’s family revealed the news that the Jolene singer had sadly passed away.
Dolly, 80, previously confessed that she had been having “hard times” when it came to her health, before she was hospitalized at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Beloved around the world, she was an artist adored by practically everyone, including members of the Royal Family.
Her first encounter came in 1977 when celebrations were taking place up and down the UK to mark The Queen’s Silver Jubilee. As Her Majesty celebrated 25 years on the throne, a special Royal Variety Performance was held in the Scottish city of Glasgow. Dolly took to the stage with her signature hits alongside the likes of Scottish singer Sydney Devine, English comedian Frankie Howerd and even the Jackson 5. At the time, she called the experience “one of the biggest thrills of my life.”
After The Queen’s death in September 2022, Dolly recollected her exciting brush with the monarch in an interview the following year. “I remember as a child being fascinated with the kings and queens and all their flamboyant clothes, people living in another world with riches and crowns and jewellery and all that,” she stated. “But when I actually got to meet her [Queen Elizabeth II], she was very sweet.”
The country superstar managed to abide by Royal Protocol. Still, she suspected that Her Late Majesty was more than comfortable dealing with those who were more unfamiliar with the formality of Royal Life. “Even though you have to do the protocol, you have to bow and all that, I could tell that she didn't care about that,” Dolly remembered. “That’s just something she had to do. And if somebody made a mistake, it was OK.”
When it came to the big moment, Dolly admitted that she was incredibly nervous to meet the Queen. However, she said that the monarch appeared to be “very warm,” and she was immediately put at ease. “I was scared to death that I was not going to know how to curtsy, that I wasn't going to bend right,” stated the Islands In The Stream hitmaker. “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.”
In 2022, Queen Elizabeth passed away after a record-breaking 70 years on the throne. Paying tribute on social media to the longest-reigning monarch in British History, Dolly said: “I had the honor of meeting and performing for Queen Elizabeth II on my trip to London in 1977. 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.”
However, the Late Queen was not the only member of the family that Dolly appeared to share a connection with. In 2023, the 9 to 5 actress flew to the UK to promote her final studio album, Rockstar. Whilst in the country, she was invited to have tea with Catherine, Princess of Wales. However, due to her enormously busy schedule, the music icon was unable to make an audience work.
“I felt so bad… I couldn’t even go!” She declared at the time. “They had all this stuff set up, 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.” She later joked: “Kate wasn’t going to promote my rock album, so I had to say no.”
However, Dolly later issued an invitation to Kate as well as her three children, Prince George, 13, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, 8, to visit her theme park, Dollywood, located in her home state of Tennessee where she would extend her famous hospitality – even expressing a desire for the Princess to try her famous mashed potatoes. She told Closer: “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!”
Adding: “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.”
