Madeleine Thompson was thrilled to present her handmade gifts to Prince William and Kate Middleton on their visit to Canada — a fascinator for her and a waistcoat for him, both adorned with Canada’s official tartan.
She was less thrilled to have them ridiculed in the British press when the gift registry was released this week.
“I have to say I was flattered to be featured as the Canadian gift in many articles, but, you know, it wasn’t great to be called bizarre,” said Thompson, a piper with Ottawa’s Sons of Scotland Pipe Band.
Trying to remember to curtsey, she nervously presented the gifts last summer after the band performed for Will and Kate, but the couple quickly put her at ease.
“It’s crazy to walk into a social scenario when you’re expected to have a conversation with somebody and try to keep track of so many rules of etiquette in your head, but as soon as they arrived, that all evaporated, and it was just like speaking to normal people,” she said.
