Emma Thompson Explains Her ‘Controversial’ Decision To Wear Trainers When Accepting Damehood

Actress, screenwriter, and now Dame Emma Thompson is known for her numerous award-winning roles, including Sense and Sensibility and Love Actually, however earlier this month, her name became tied to something else–the controversial decision to wear a pair of trainers when accepting her damehood from Prince William on November 7.

According to Marie Claire, Thompson’s footwear choice sent royal watchers into a “frenzy of critique” over such a casual choice for a formal royal event, but Dame Emma didn’t even seem to notice.

“But they were posh trainers…Was there a lot of controversy?” Thompson said while guest starring on the podcast “My Dad Wrote a Porno.” “I don’t do social media, I have no idea, so when these things happen, ‘Oh my god, you caused a stir’ I’m going, ‘Why?'”

The podcast’s host Alice Levine joked to Thompson about how major media outlets “couldn’t get enough,” particularly the British chat show Loose Women.

“About whether it was appropriate? Oh that’s so interesting…They were Vegan trainers. Stella McCartney, Stan Smith trainers,” Thompson explained of the white sneakers, which she paired with a custom teal Stella McCartney suit for the event at Buckingham Palace where she was honored for her services to drama.

The actress went on to explain that her damehood ceremony was not her first fashion faux-pas–she was once criticized for wearing a pair of jeans to the Cannes Film Festival.

“I was wearing a very sparkly top and look, if you’re wearing a sparkly top it doesn’t matter what you’re wearing underneath it,” she explained. “Their fashion police said, ‘Oh my god! What is she doing? She is destroying the whole Cannes experience! Everyone is coming to see the beautiful Cannes actresses all dressed up looking gorgeous and look what she is doing, she’s wrecking the whole thing!'”

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Dame Emma Thompson and Prince William had a sweet interaction during the ceremony that even made the Duke of Cambridge blush when they “sniggered” at each other after she asked for a kiss.

“I love Prince William, I’ve known him since he was little, and we just sniggered at each other,” the Nanny McPhee star shared with E! News. “I said ‘I can’t kiss you, can I?’ And he said, ‘No don’t!'”

Thompson was the first one in line to receive her medal from the prince and explained that being in that position held an expectation of her to be extremely formal, but she couldn’t help herself.

“He’s looking wonderful and doing so well. He said, ‘This day isn’t about me, it’s about you.'”