Dolly Parton declined tea with Kate Middleton because she wouldn't have promoted her album

"I felt so bad," Parton said.

Dolly Parton is booked, blessed, and too busy for Kate Middleton.

The music superstar revealed over the weekend on Claudia Winkleman's BBC radio show that she declined to have tea with the Princess of Wales (and wife of Prince William) while in the United Kingdom on a press tour for her upcoming rock album Rockstar, as the 77-year-old said the meeting wouldn't have contributed to her album sales.

Dolly Parton; Kate Middleton
Dolly Parton; Kate Middleton. Emma McIntyre/Getty Images; Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

"I even got invited to have tea with Kate. I felt so bad," Parton said with a laugh. "I couldn't even because they had all this stuff set up, but I thought that was very sweet and nice of her to invite me to tea. One of these days I'm going to be able to get to do that, wouldn't that have been great? But she wasn't going to promote my rock album so I had to say no. I hope she hears it, though."

Parton did find time, however, to recruit a roster of A-list collaborators for Rockstar, including Pink, Lizzo, Miley Cyrus, Sting, and British music royals like Elton John, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr.

Parton's Rockstar album is out on Nov. 17.

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