NASHVILLE, Tenn. — In the years before her death, Dolly Parton spoke repeatedly and warmly about her hope to one day host Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince William and their three children at Dollywood, the theme park she built in the Tennessee mountains she called home.

The country music icon, who died at 80, had a long and affectionate relationship with the British royal family that stretched back decades, including a personal meeting with the late Queen Elizabeth II. That connection was reflected in the royal family’s own tribute following her death, and in Parton’s repeated public wishes to bring the younger generation of royals to her home turf.

A near-miss with Kate

Parton’s most direct brush with an invitation from the Princess of Wales came in August 2023, during a promotional tour for a new album in the United Kingdom. Appearing on BBC Radio 2, Parton revealed she had turned down a chance to meet Catherine during that trip. “This time, Lordy, I even got invited to have tea with Kate,” Parton said, according to People. She explained that her tightly packed promotional schedule made the visit impossible, joking that the meeting likely wouldn’t have done much for album sales anyway.

Dreaming of a royal visit to Dollywood

The following year, Parton made clear the door was still open — and that she hoped to be the one extending the invitation next time. Speaking to Closer in November 2024, she said she would welcome the chance to host Catherine, William and their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, at her Tennessee theme park. “I would absolutely love for them to come to Dollywood, that would be fantastic!” Parton told the outlet.

Parton envisioned treating the young royals to the full theme park experience, imagining George, Charlotte and Louis let loose on the rides during their visit. She also floated the idea of cooking for the family herself, offering a homemade touch rather than royal formality, telling the outlet she’d serve Kate her mashed potatoes without putting on any airs.

Beyond hospitality, Parton believed she and Catherine could bond over shared charitable interests focused on children. Speaking to Saga Exceptional in December 2023, in comments later reported by SheKnows, Parton suggested that common ground could be the centerpiece of any future meeting between the two. “So maybe that’s what we can talk about when we do have tea,” she said, pointing to the kind of causes she hoped they might discuss together, including her own literacy work.

The royal family’s tribute

Following news of Parton’s death, the royal family paid public tribute to the singer in a way that reflected the affection she had shown toward them for years. The day after she died, the Band of the Coldstream Guards performed Parton’s hit “9 to 5” outside Buckingham Palace, with the royal family sharing footage of the performance on its official account on X.

Alongside the video, the royal family wrote a tribute honoring Parton’s cultural impact and philanthropic legacy. “Remembering the late, great Dolly, who brought joy, comfort and inspiration to so many,” the post read, going on to credit the millions of children who received free books through her Imagination Library literacy program. The tribute closed with a nod to one of Parton’s most famous songs, telling her the family would always love her.

A friendship that began with the Queen

Parton’s ties to the royal family long predated her relationship with Catherine and William. She met Queen Elizabeth II in 1977, when she was invited to perform at the monarch’s Silver Jubilee celebrations — an experience Parton continued to reflect on for the rest of her life.

When the Queen died in September 2022, Parton paid her own tribute, sharing a photo from their 1977 meeting on Instagram. “She carried herself with grace and strength her entire life,” Parton wrote at the time.

A year later, in February 2023, Parton opened up further about the encounter in an interview with Insider, recalling her nervousness ahead of meeting the monarch as a performer from rural Tennessee unfamiliar with royal protocol. Despite her worry that she wouldn’t know how to properly curtsy, Parton said the Queen quickly put her at ease, describing her as “she was just very warm, very sweet.”

A cross-cultural bond that endured

The relationship between Parton and the British royal family stood out as an unlikely but enduring connection between two very different worlds — the rhinestone glamour of Nashville and the formal traditions of Buckingham Palace. Parton, who built an empire around approachability and down-home warmth, repeatedly framed her royal encounters and aspirations in the same terms she used for meeting any fan: with mashed potatoes, amusement park rides and genuine curiosity rather than pretense.

That approach appears to have resonated on the other side as well. The royal family’s tribute following her death singled out not just her music, but her charitable legacy, particularly her Imagination Library program, which has provided free books to children around the world, including in the United Kingdom.

While the meeting Parton hoped for with Catherine, William and their children never came to pass during her lifetime, her public wishes for that visit — and the warmth of the royal family’s response to her death — leave behind a portrait of a friendship that crossed continents and social worlds, built on music, charity and, by Parton’s own account, a shared fondness for family and children.