The death of Dolly Parton has sparked an outpouring of tributes across the world and King Charles's way of honouring the Queen of country music was every bit as majestic as she deserved. The Royal Family's Instagram account shared a special video the day after Dolly passed away, filmed at the most iconic of residences - Buckingham Palace.
It featured the Band of the Coldstream Guards playing a rendition of her hit, 9 to 5, during the Changing of the Guard on 26th August. This was already incredibly moving, though the caption included another detail that made it even more meaningful.
"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 King and Queen's message read.
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Whilst Dolly Parton will forever be remembered for her musical accomplishments as a 12-time Grammy award winner, the Imagination Library became her "mission". She set up the literacy initiative in 1995 and was inspired by her late father, Robert Lee Parton.
"Before he passed away, my Daddy told me the Imagination Library was probably the most important thing I had ever done," she wrote on their website. "I can't tell you how much that meant to me because I created the Imagination Library as a tribute to my Daddy. He was the smartest man I have ever known but I know in my heart his inability to read probably kept him from fulfilling all of his dreams."
"Inspiring kids to love to read became my mission. In the beginning, my hope was simply to inspire the children in my home county but here we are today with a worldwide program," Dolly continued.
The King's reference to the extraordinary impact of the Imagination Library in the royal tribute was a beautiful way to honour Dolly's work beyond her music. I suspect this detail was something Queen Camilla would've especially wanted to include.
She is also an advocate for literacy and set up The Queen's Reading Room book club, which is now a charity and which celebrates and promotes the benefits and power of reading. Together with the 9 to 5 rendition, the caption is such a special way to remember Dolly Parton, who once met Queen Elizabeth after singing at her Silver Jubilee Royal Variety Performance and grew up "fascinated" with all things royal.
"I remember as a child being fascinated with the kings and queens and all their flamboyant clothes, people living in another world with riches and crowns and jewelry and all that," she explained in 2023. "But when I actually got to meet [Queen Elizabeth], she was very sweet."
The singer recalled being "scared to death" about the curtsy, but the late monarch "was just very warm, very sweet, and [she] could tell she was a very giving person. And just meeting the Queen of England, just to meet a queen, it was amazing."
Dolly Parton passed away on 25th August at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center "surrounded by loved ones" after "bravely facing a brief battle with cancer", her reps confirmed to PEOPLE in a statement. They added that she "spent her life and career bringing joy, laughter, hope and integrity into everything she touched" and praised her "unmatched generosity".
