Dolly Parton's '9 to 5' echoes at Buckingham Palace as royal guards join global tributes to icon
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM: The music of Dolly Parton took an unexpected turn through Buckingham Palace on Wednesday, August 26, as the Band of the Coldstream Guards performed her famous '9 to 5' during the Changing of the Guard ceremony.
The performance came one day after Parton’s death at 80 and was shared by the royal family, which remembered the singer for both her music and her work helping children discover books through her Imagination Library.
A royal salute to Dolly Parton
The Coldstream Guards’ performance brought Parton’s best-known songs into one of Britain’s most recognizable royal ceremonies.
Video of the musicians performing '9 to 5' was posted by the royal family’s official social media accounts, accompanied by a message remembering Parton’s influence and her efforts on behalf of children.
“Remembering the late, great Dolly, who brought joy, comfort and inspiration to so many,” the caption read, highlighting the millions of children who received free books through her Imagination Library.
The tribute specifically singled out the Imagination Library, the program Parton established in 1995.
The initiative became one of the most prominent parts of her philanthropic work, extending her influence far beyond the music industry and making children’s literacy a central part of her legacy.
Queen Camilla’s Queen’s Reading Room also marked Parton’s death, highlighting her commitment to encouraging children to read.
The Buckingham Palace performance also carries a connection to Parton’s long history with the British royal family.
Her music and philanthropy have previously brought her into the orbit of the royals, making the tribute an especially fitting acknowledgment of a career that reached far beyond country music.
Dolly Parton's ties with the royal family
Parton first met Queen Elizabeth II in 1977, when she traveled to Glasgow during celebrations for the monarch’s Silver Jubilee.
Parton later recalled how excited she was to discover that she would perform for the queen.
The meeting was particularly memorable for the singer, who had grown up in Tennessee surrounded by the kind of stories about kings, queens, and princes that she once regarded as part of the world of fairy tales.
Years later, after Elizabeth died in 2022, Parton shared a photograph from their meeting and remembered the monarch with admiration.
Parton died on August 25 at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, surrounded by loved ones, after a brief battle with cancer, according to her representatives.
Her nephew Bryan Seaver announced her death and spoke about her influence on generations of musicians, singers, songwriters and fans.
