The Queen of Country received a royal tribute following her death. The day after Dolly Parton’s passing, the band of the Coldstream Guards opened their medley during the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace with a performance of the late singer’s 1980 hit “9 to 5.” A video of the performance was shared on the royal family’s official social media channels.
“Remembering the late, great Dolly, who brought joy, comfort and inspiration to so many – including the millions of children given free books through her Imagination Library. We will always ❤️ you,” the post was captioned.
The video on Instagram has since garnered more than 12 million views, with Robert Hardman, author of Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story., commenting: “Royal soft power at its very finest.”
The royals are often praised for their use of soft power, and this tribute to an American icon was another example of it in action. Honouring Dolly allowed the royals to join a worldwide outpouring of love for the beloved singer, while also connecting the monarchy with an audience beyond the UK.
Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine, notes to HELLO!: “It’s all about optics these days, but the Royal Household and its military counterparts have been ahead of the game. There is sometimes a delayed reaction to events, both national and international, but tributes such as this to Dolly Parton ‘who brought joy, comfort and inspiration to so many’ often come about very quickly. And with an audience of 13.2m on Instagram alone, the PR for the Royal Family is invaluable and immediate.”
While the royals expressed their love for the Queen of Country this week, Dolly had been a longtime admirer of the late Queen Elizabeth. In a 2023 interview with Insider, she described the late monarch as “very warm, very sweet.”
Dolly, who performed for the royal during her Silver Jubilee in 1977, said that “just meeting the Queen of England, just to meet a queen, it was amazing.”
The Grammy winner celebrated Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022 with a video message, telling the Queen: “I just wanted to say thank you for being wonderful, you are more than pearls and you are more than platinum.”
“You have been a shining diamond in this world for so long and everybody loves you. And I will always love you too.”
After the Queen’s passing later that year, Dolly paid tribute to the monarch, writing: “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.”
© Getty ImagesDolly died on August 25 at the age of 80 following a brief battle with cancer. In addition to the tribute shared on the Royal Family’s official accounts, Queen Camilla’s Reading Room also shared a message on Instagram following the singer’s passing.
“Today we remember and celebrate the unwavering advocate for the joy and importance of reading – the icon, Dolly Parton,” the message read. “Dolly once said, ‘You can never get enough books into the hands of enough children’… but she gave it a pretty good go, donating more than 300 million books over 30+ years through her Imagination Library.”
“By putting so many books into the hands of so many children, she gave the most precious of gifts: the chance to millions of young minds of opening the door to imagination, possibility and a lifelong love of reading. Thank you, Dolly!”
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