Princess Kate once snubbed by Dolly Parton: Here's the story

Dolly Parton, who breathed her last at the age of 80 on Tuesday, once  turned down Princess Kate's invitaion.

In 2023, the country music star said that while she was in London, she received an invitation to have tea with the Princess of Wales. But sadly, she had to decline.

"I even got invited to have tea with Kate and I felt so bad, I couldn’t even go," Dolly revealed to BBC Radio 2.

The singer explained why she missed a chance to have tea with Catherine, saying her team "had all this stuff set up" to promote her album, Rockstar.

"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 then added: "But she wasn't going to promote my rock album so I had to say no."

Speaking to Saga Exceptional in 2023, she went into more detail about why she was unable to go. "I only had one full day and I did not have a second to do anything else besides work."

The artist added she wanted to "make sure people know I didn’t turn the invitation down, but it simply came down to her busy schedule. I was honoured and flattered that she even asked me," she told the publication.

Dolly noted that both she and Kate shared a passion for helping children: the musicion with her Imagination Library, a book-gifting program, and Kate with her Early Childhood initiative. 

"So maybe that’s what we can talk about when we do have tea. I think she’s adorable and I hope someday to be able to sit down and have a good conversation with her," Dolly said.

In a touching tribute, the royal family celebrated Dolly Parton, whose songs of hope and kindness became a melody of peace for countless troubled souls...