Dolly Parton reveals why she declined a Royal invite from Princess Catherine

Legendary country music sensation Dolly Parton has opened up about her decision to gracefully decline a coveted invitation extended by none other than Princess Catherine.

While many would no doubt jump at the chance to enjoy tea with a member of the Royal Family, Parton revealed that her hectic schedule that extends beyond the usual ‘9 to 5’ meant she, unfortunately, had to turn down the offer.

“This time, Lordy, I even got invited to have tea with Kate,” she revealed to BBC Radio. 

“And I felt so bad, I couldn’t even—cause they had all the stuff set up. But I thought that was very sweet and nice of her to invite me to tea, and one of these days I’m gonna be able to get to do that.”

Later in the interview, Parton joked about another reason for her choosing to forgo the meeting.

“It would’ve been great. But she wasn’t going to promote my rock album, so I had to say no,” Parton joked.

“I hope she hears it, though!”

While Princess Catherine missed out on the opportunity to see the beloved country music legend, Parton’s audience will still get the chance to see and enjoy her performances for many more years to come after she declared that she would rather “drop dead” on stage than retire from her illustrious career.

The 77-year-old entertainer, considered the most successful female country singer of all time, demonstrated her unwavering commitment to her career during a recent interview with Greatest Hits Radio. 

“I would never retire. I would hopefully drop dead in the middle of a song on stage someday – and hopefully one I’ve written – but that’s how I hope to go,” she revealed

“I don’t have much of a choice in that but in the meantime, I’m going to make hay while the sun shines.”

While Parton has no plans to hang up the mic altogether, she has stepped away from the hustle and bustle that comes with live tours.

“I’m not touring anymore but I will continue to do special shows here and there now and then like a long weekend or festival shows,” she said.

“But as far as touring I think those days are pretty much behind me… you have to stay gone so long on a tour to make it productive and prosperous and that’s a lot of time at my age – I aint’ got no years to waste.”