She’s the queen of country music and, thanks to that title, Dolly Parton has rubbed shoulders with many members of the Royal Family.

However, Meghan Markle was one former working royal that the 9 to 5 singer was not so keen on mingling with, it is alleged.

Dolly was reportedly invited to appear on Meghan’s most recent Netflix series With Love, Meghan, where the Duchess of Sussex was joined by an array of celebrity guests who cooked with her alongside other activities.

Thanks to her popular range of baking products and cookbooks, Dolly would have been an ideal guest for the lifestyle show.      

However, according to celebrity commentator Kinsey Schofield Dolly ‘snubbed’ Meghan’s invite to appear on the show with her team claiming it risked her ‘reputation’ and ‘popularity’. 

Speaking to Daily Mail journalist Maureen Callahan in an episode of her podcast in May, Kinsey said: ‘They don’t want to risk Dolly’s reputation Q Score [and] her popularity by associating with Meghan Markle.

‘They knew that this ask was just to give Meghan Markle credibility in this lifestyle space, a space that Dolly does have a lot of credibility in.’

(A Q Score is a measurement of a brand or celebrity’s appeal and familiarity, used primarily in advertising and marketing.) 

A spokesperson from the series has denied Kinsey allegations.

Meghan Markle on the set of her Netflix series With Love, Meghan. On the show the Duchess of Sussex was joined by an array of celebrity guests who the duchess cooked with 

Thanks to her popular range of baking products and cookbooks, country music legend Dolly Parton would have been an ideal guest for the lifestyle show

A promotional poster for With Love, Meghan. Dolly was reportedly invited to appear in the series

In a statement to Page Six, the influential gossip column in the New York Post, they wrote: ‘This story is false. At no point did anybody from the show’s production or Netflix approach Dolly Parton or her team to appear on With Love, Meghan.’ 

The calibre of stars on the lifestyle show lacked much of the Hollywood glamour Harry and Meghan tried to project when they moved to Los Angeles in 2020. 

Meghan is said to have struggled to book some of her more famous friends for the show, which launched in March.

Viewers had expected her to bring in the likes of Montecito neighbour Oprah Winfrey, tennis superstar Serena Williams and actor and filmmaker Tyler Perry – who is godfather to Princess Lilibet.

The Duchess could only muster up Suits co-star Abigail Spencer, Delfina Figueras – socialite wife of Harry’s polo-playing chum Nacho – and chef Roy Choi.  

The biggest stars to appear were Harry himself – restricted to a couple of minutes of the final episode in the eight-part series – and US Office actress, writer and producer Mindy Kaling, who appears in the second episode.

A source told The Sun: ‘They struggled to book guests. They had a real hard time, and it shows.’

Hopes had been high for the series after Meghan’s earlier creative projects featured a host of top-tier stars.

According to celebrity commentator Kinsey Schofield Dolly ‘snubbed’ Meghan’s invite to appear on the show with her team claiming it risked her ‘reputation’ and ‘popularity’

Actress Mindy Kaling was one of the guest stars on the series. Meghan is said to have struggled to book some of her famous friends

Short-lived podcast Archetypes – which lasted 12 episodes across three months – featured Serena Williams, singer Mariah Carey, socialite Paris Hilton and Superbad filmmaker Judd Apatow.

And Harry & Meghan, the Sussexes’ first Netflix project, featured Perry and Serena, the latter talking about attending the Sussexes’ wedding.

But Netflix executives are alleged to have been underwhelmed by the couple’s output, from docuseries Heart Of Invictus through to Harry’s recent series Polo, which featured very little of the duke at all.

Despite Kinsey allegations, Dolly has previously hinted that she would be open to working with Meghan on future projects.

‘Well, never say never, you never know where you’re gonna go,’ the 79-year-old told the Huff Post in May.

Dolly added that she would be travelling to the UK in October and is hoping to have afternoon tea with Queen Camilla.

‘So I’m going to go over there and kind of really rub elbows with the royalty. So yes, anything is possible. I never say no to anything,’ she said.

Last year, Dolly extended an invitation for the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children  to visit her amusement park – Dollyland.

Viewers had expected Meghan to bring in the likes of Montecito neighbour Oprah Winfrey into the kitchen for the show

The Duchess could only muster up Suits co-star Abigail Spencer (centre) 

In 1986, the Jolene hitmaker joined theme park owners Jack and Pete Herschend of the Branson-based Herschend Enterprises to transform what was once a park called Silver Dollar City into Dollywood.

The park, which features a wide assortment of rides and roller-coasters, is the most-visited tourist attraction in the state, drawing in millions of visitors last year.

The 150-acre park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, is also famous for its food, like their 25-pound apple pie, cinnamon bread and pork rinds with pimento cheese.

While William and Kate are yet to take up Dolly’s offer, the Daily Mail’s royal editor Rebecca English has wrote that the Royals could be travelling across the pond next year on a visit to the US to mark the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution.

While no formal invitation has yet been offered by the US, the current thinking is that the UK would happily agree to an ‘outwards’ royal visit to mark the occasion.

Potentially, this could involve the King and Queen, but another scenario being discussed is whether this trip could be made by the Prince and Princess of Wales.

It would be their first joint royal tour for two years following Catherine’s cancer diagnosis, and would be nothing short of royal box office dynamite.

According to Rebecca English, nothing is on or off the table until an invitation to the bicentennial celebrations has been officially issued, and much can change between now and then.

Despite the celebrity commentator Kinsey Schofield’s allegations, Dolly has previously hinted that she would be open to working with Meghan on future projects

Dolly outside her theme park Dollyland. Last year, Dolly extended an invitation for the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children to visit her amusement park

If William and Kate do find themselves Stateside, they could find ample time to visit the popular amusement park.  

Dolly previously performed for Queen Elizabeth II in 1977 during the celebrations for Her Majesty’s Silver Jubilee.

The singer then had the chance to meet the Queen backstage at the Royal Variety Show in Glasgow.

Recalling, her interaction Dolly said she was ‘scared to death’ that she would not be able to curtsy correctly but the ‘warm’ and ‘sweet’ Queen quickly put her at ease.

Dolly later went on to describe the performance as one of the ‘biggest thrills of my life’.