Here’s the Hilarious Reason Why Dolly Parton Turned Down Tea With Kate Middleton

On today’s episode of Unexpected Crossovers We Never Knew We Always Needed, it turns out that the queen of country, Dolly Parton, and the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, almost met up for tea. But before fans of all things royalty get too excited, the singer recently revealed why she ended up declining the invitation during a new interview — and in typical Dolly fashion, her reasoning was hilarious.

During a recent appearance on BBC Radio 2, Parton sat down with host Claudia Winkleman to chat about how busy she’d been during her trip to the U.K. “I love the people, the feel of London,” she shared. “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.”

The singer then added that in addition to sightseeing, her packed schedule also prevented her from meeting up with Middleton. “This time, Lordy, I even got invited to have tea with Kate, but I couldn’t even go,” Parton revealed. “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.”

Dolly then jokingly added, “But she wasn’t going to promote my rock album so I had to say no.”

The rock album in question — Dolly’s upcoming project, Rockstar — is set for global release on Nov. 17. The 30-song track list will include nine original songs and 21 covers of iconic rock anthems, and will feature an impressive roundup of stars from the likes of Miley Cyrus to Paul McCartney.

“I’m so excited to finally present my first Rock and Roll album, Rockstar,” Parton shared in a statement. “I am very honored and privileged to have worked with some of the greatest iconic singers and musicians of all time, and to be able to sing all the iconic songs throughout the album was a joy beyond measure. I hope everybody enjoys the album as much as I’ve enjoyed putting it together.”