King Charles’ Guards Pay Moving Tribute to Dolly Parton with ‘9 to 5’ Outside Buckingham Palace

The Band of the Coldstream Guards; Dolly Parton.

Dolly Parton’s music echoed through one of Britain’s most famous royal landmarks on Wednesday morning as King Charles III’s guards paid tribute to the country music legend following her death at age 80.

Just one day after Parton’s death was announced on Tuesday, August 25, the Band of the Coldstream Guards performed an instrumental rendition of her 1980 hit “9 to 5” during the Changing of the Guard ceremony outside Buckingham Palace.

The unexpected musical tribute took place in front of tourists gathered outside the royal residence and was later shared by the royal family on Instagram.

“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,” the royal family wrote alongside the video.

The tribute ended with a simple message referencing one of Parton’s most famous songs: “We will always ❤️ you.”

The performance represented another addition to the enormous wave of tributes that followed news of Parton’s death.

The singer’s nephew, Bryan Seaver, announced her death in a video shared on social media on Tuesday. Representatives for Parton subsequently told PEOPLE that the “Jolene” singer died following a “brief battle with cancer.”

Since the announcement, artists, actors and public figures from across the entertainment industry have celebrated Parton’s extraordinary career and influence.

Among those honoring her were Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter and Beyoncé, reflecting the enormous range of artists influenced by Parton during a career that lasted for decades.

But the Buckingham Palace performance carried particular significance because Parton had maintained a warm and occasionally humorous relationship with Britain’s royal family throughout her life.

Dolly Parton’s Connection to the British Royals

Parton’s relationship with the monarchy stretched back decades, but she continued to speak affectionately about members of the royal family well into her later years.

In 2023, Parton revealed that she had received an invitation from Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, to have tea while she was visiting Britain.

Unfortunately, the singer was unable to accept.

At the time, Parton was busy promoting her rock album Rockstar, and her schedule left no room for the royal meeting.

“I felt so bad … I couldn’t even go!” Parton said during an appearance on BBC Radio 2.

She made clear that she had appreciated Kate’s invitation.

“They had all this stuff set up. But I thought that was very sweet and nice of her to invite me to tea,” Parton recalled.

She expressed hope that another opportunity might eventually arise.

“One of these days, I’m going to be able to get to do that, wouldn’t that have been great?” she said.

Then, demonstrating the playful sense of humor for which she became famous, Parton joked about why promoting her album had taken priority.

“But she wasn’t going to promote my rock album, so I had to say no,” Parton joked. “I hope she hears it though.”

The story became another example of Parton’s ability to combine genuine affection with humor, even when discussing the British royal family.

An Invitation to Dollywood

Parton later returned the invitation in her own distinctive way.

The following year, she said she would love to welcome the Princess of Wales and her three children — Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis — to Dollywood, her amusement park in Tennessee.

“The kids could go on all the rides and we would treat them like royalty!” Parton said.

She even had a meal planned for Kate, saying she would serve the princess her mashed potatoes.

The invitation reflected the informal warmth with which Parton often discussed the royals. Rather than focusing on protocol or ceremony, she imagined welcoming the family into her own world in Tennessee.

Her connection to the United Kingdom was not limited to celebrity friendships or royal invitations, however.

One of the singer’s most significant philanthropic projects had developed a major presence there.

Her Imagination Library Legacy in Britain

The royal family specifically highlighted Parton’s Imagination Library when paying tribute to her outside Buckingham Palace.

Created to promote childhood literacy, the program provides free books to children from birth until age 5.

The initiative expanded into the United Kingdom in 2007, allowing British families to participate in the program that Parton had originally established in the United States.

By the later years of her life, the project had distributed books to millions of children.

In 2025, Parton told HuffPost that she hoped to meet with members of the royal family partly because of their involvement with the Imagination Library.

“I think they’re involved a lot with our Imagination Library there,” she said.

Parton joked that she planned to visit Britain and “really rub elbows with the royalty.”

That meeting may not have occurred as she imagined, but the royal family’s tribute following her death made clear that her philanthropic work had not gone unnoticed.

By specifically mentioning the millions of children who received free books through the program, the palace honored Parton not simply as an entertainer but also as a philanthropist whose influence extended far beyond music.

Meeting Queen Elizabeth II

Parton’s connection with British royalty began long before her exchanges with Kate Middleton.

In 1977, she performed at the Royal Variety Performance, held during celebrations marking Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee.

At the time, Parton reportedly described the experience as “one of the biggest thrills” of her life.

Years later, she continued to remember her interaction with the late Queen fondly.

Parton described Queen Elizabeth as “very warm, very sweet.”

For the Tennessee-born singer, meeting a reigning British monarch was almost surreal.

“Just meeting the Queen of England, just to meet a queen, it was amazing,” Parton later recalled.

The encounter became one of many extraordinary moments in a career that took Parton from humble beginnings in rural Tennessee to some of the world’s most prestigious stages.

Dolly Parton in Nashville on May 19, 2025.

A Song With New Meaning at Buckingham Palace

Against that history, the Coldstream Guards’ performance of “9 to 5” carried an additional emotional weight.

Released in 1980 as the theme song for the comedy film of the same name, “9 to 5” became one of Parton’s signature recordings and one of the most recognizable songs of her career.

More than four decades later, its melody was heard outside Buckingham Palace as soldiers participating in one of Britain’s best-known ceremonial traditions transformed a routine royal event into a tribute to an American music legend.

It was also fitting that the royal family chose to remember Parton through music.

Throughout her career, Parton built a catalog that crossed genres, generations and national boundaries. Songs including “Jolene,” “9 to 5” and “I Will Always Love You” became cultural landmarks, while her songwriting and philanthropy ensured that her influence extended well beyond country music.

Following her death, tributes from some of the world’s biggest entertainers demonstrated just how broad that influence had become.

But the scene outside Buckingham Palace offered something different.

Rather than a speech or formal statement, the guards allowed one of Parton’s most famous melodies to speak for her.

Tourists watched as musicians in ceremonial uniform performed the song in front of the palace, creating a moment that connected Nashville and London, country music and royal tradition.

For a performer who once described meeting Queen Elizabeth II as one of the greatest thrills of her life, the tribute brought that decades-long royal connection full circle.

The palace’s farewell was brief but unmistakably affectionate: Dolly Parton had brought “joy, comfort and inspiration” to millions.

And on the morning after her death, that legacy was honored in unmistakably British fashion — with the Changing of the Guard, Buckingham Palace and the sound of “9 to 5.”