From one Queen to another…
Yesterday, news broke that Queen Elizabeth II had passed away.
After a 70-year reign, she passed away at age 96 at her Scottish estate, after first coming to the throne at the young age of 25 in 1952.
Of course, plenty of diplomats, former Presidents, and even celebrities have taken to social media to share their condolences with the Royal family for the beloved Queen.
And country music’s own queen (though she would never call herself that), Mrs. Dolly Parton just released a statement on the passing of Queen Elizabeth:
“I had the honor of meeting and performing for Queen Elizabeth II on my trip to London in 1977. She carried herself with grace and strength her entire life.
May she Rest In Peace. My thoughts and prayers are with her family at this time. Love, Dolly.”
She even shared a photo of their meeting from back in the late 70’s:
Dolly met the Queen in May of 1977, when she was overseas as part of her world tour and performed at the King’s Theatre for the Royal Variety Show as part of Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee celebrations.
To mark Queen Elizabeth’s 25th year as England’s royal ruler, they went all-out celebrating with parties and parades throughout the United Kingdom and Commonwealth, and actually, Dolly didn’t even know she was going to be part of it until she got across the pond.
According to The Tennessean, her team didn’t even tell her she would be performing for the Queen until they were on their way to London, and Dolly says:
“They kept it a surprise from me until I was on the flight over.”
She added that she got butterflies right before she walked out on stage:
“I was a little bit nervous – on the brink of being scared. But when I walked out on stage, I was at ease. The crowd was just great.”
I mean, I think it’s pretty fair to be a little bit scared right before you perform for the Queen of England…
Dolly said she couldn’t have been more ecstatic to get such a cool opportunity, though, because she was always fascinated by fairy tales and princesses as a young girl growing up in the remote mountains of east Tennessee:
“When they told me on the plane I was appearing in front of the queen, I just jumped up and down telling everyone. It’s just one of the biggest thrills of my life.
When I was a little girl I grew up in a world of kings and queens and princes and princesses in fairy tales. Now I was going to meet one.”
I’d say that’s pretty much every girl’s dream… well, it’s mine, at least, but I digress.
Upon Dolly’s departure from England, she told Time magazine:
“I don’t want to leave the country. I want to take the country with me.”
Dolly also recently sent the Queen a very sweet message in honor of her Platinum Jubilee, which marked her 70 years of service to the people of England, back in February of this year:
