![](\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/08\/28\/12\/74793413-12452969-image-a-22_1693221700591.jpg\")
<\/p>\nDolly Parton has revealed the hilarious reason why she turned down an invitation for tea with the Princess of Wales.<\/p>\n
The country singer, 77, explained she received the coveted invitation from Kate Middleton, 41, whilst she was in London for work.<\/p>\n
Whilst sharing her love of the capital, the Jolene singer admitted she almost brushed shoulders with the residents of Buckingham Palace, but unfortunately ‘couldn’t go’.<\/p>\n
Dolly said during an appearance on BBC Radio 2: ‘This time, Lordy, I even got invited to have tea with Kate but I couldn’t even go.\u00a0<\/p>\n
‘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 \u2013 that would be great.’<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Cheeky!\u00a0Dolly Parton (pictured in May) has revealed the hilarious reason why she turned down an invitation for tea with the Princess of Wales<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/08\/28\/12\/74793419-12452969-Respect_The_77_year_old_country_singer_admitted_she_received_the-m-24_1693221736099.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Respect:\u00a0The country singer, 77, explained she received the coveted invitation from Kate Middleton, 41, (pictured in December) whilst she was in London for work<\/p>\n
Then, in true Dolly Parton style, she cracked a joke as to what made her decline Kate’s invite. She said: ‘But she wasn’t going to promote my rock album so I had to say no.’<\/p>\n
She explained her regret at not having explored more of the city while on tour, but concluded she didn’t ever have enough time to play tourist.<\/p>\n
The singer told presenter and host Claudia Winkleman of her admiration for the capital.<\/p>\n
Dolly said: ‘I love the people, the feel of London. I don’t unfortunately [get time to sightsee]. I have in the past, me and my band, in a tour bus when we have it planned.’<\/p>\n
It comes after the star\u00a0said she would rather ‘drop dead’ in the middle of a song on stage than hang up the microphone in a new interview.<\/p>\n
Despite approaching a six decade-long career in the music industry,\u00a0Dolly\u00a0has no plans to retire.\u00a0<\/p>\n
‘I\u00a0would never retire. I would hopefully drop dead in the middle of a song on stage someday \u2013 and hopefully one I’ve written \u2013 but that’s how I hope to go,’ she told Ken Bruce on Greatest Hits Radio.\u00a0<\/p>\n
‘I don’t have much of a choice in that but in the meantime, I’m going to make hay while the sun shines’.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dolly\u00a0owns a vast catalogue of some 3,000 songs, penning iconic belters such as Jolene and I Will Always Love You.<\/span><\/p>\n Missed out: The Jolene singer (pictured in June) admitted she almost brushed shoulders with the residents of Buckingham Palace, but unfortunately ‘couldn’t go’<\/p>\n While the country music sensation is determined to keep performing, she admitted she has scaled back her work schedule in some aspects.<\/p>\n ‘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.\u00a0<\/p>\n ‘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 \u2013 I aint’ got no years to waste.’\u00a0<\/p>\n Instead of living on the road, Dolly said she wants to host more TV shows or act in more movies.\u00a0<\/p>\n ‘I want to have my own story called The Life of Many Colours where I have a whole TV series of my life’, she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n ‘Stuff that people haven’t seen or heard about me and where I come from and how I got to be how and who I am. The bad, the good and the ugly!’<\/p>\n ‘So that’s one thing I want to do and then just host more TV shows, do more movies. I want to have my own line of makeup, own line of wigs and clothes.\u00a0<\/p>\n ‘Once you get to a certain place in your career you get a lot of offers and some of them are just really hard to turn down.’<\/p>\n The interview comes after Dolly’s announcement for her new album Rockstar; her 49th studio album, which is set to release in November.\u00a0<\/p>\n The album will feature 30 songs – nine original tracks from Parton and 21 classic rock covers with collaborators such as Elton John, Sting, Pink and more.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Icon: ‘I would never retire. I would hopefully drop dead in the middle of a song on stage someday \u2013 and hopefully one I’ve written ‘, Dolly previous said (pictured in 1977)<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/08\/28\/13\/73182031-12452969-Missed_out_Whilst_sharing_her_love_of_the_capital_the_Jolene_sin-m-22_1693225484599.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/08\/28\/13\/73189881-12452969-Icon_I_would_never_retire_I_would_hopefully_drop_dead_in_the_mid-m-21_1693225434125.jpg\"){kind=icon}
<\/p>\n