The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be presented with a pair of custom cowboy boots when they arrive in Calgary in July as part of their royal tour, more than 30 years after William's father was presented with a pair of boots by the same bootmaker when he opened the Stampede in 1977.
The boots, crafted by the Alberta Boot Company, are on the "exotic end," the grandson of the company's founder told CTV.ca on Friday, because the shafts are made with kangaroo hide; while the bottoms are made with South African ostrich hide.
"The ostrich makes them really soft," Ben Gerwing said from Calgary. "Both my grandfather and I really like ostrich. It's one of our favourites."
The two-toned boots will have a traditional look with a bit of modern flare, said the 25-year-old. "We make traditional boots so we don't get into the fashion stuff."
Gerwing, who is a third-generation boot maker, says he woke up early to watch the royal nuptials in April.
"I didn't really follow the Royal family before," he said, but admits it was hard not to get caught up in the excitement of Will and Kate's wedding.
Gerwing's grandfather, however, has always been a fan of the Royal family.
"My grandfather flew Spitfires," a British single-seat fighter plane during the Second World War, Gerwing said, and ever since then, he's had an affinity for the Royal clan.
In 1977, Clem Gerwing fashioned a pair of cowhide cowboy boots for William's father, Prince Charles, and his uncle, Prince Andrew, when they opened the Calgary Stampede.
The 91-year-old founder of the company decided he wanted to craft a pair of boots for the young Royal couple after it was announced Kate and William would be visiting the western city during the annual 10-day Calgary Stampede.
Both boots are valued at approximately $1,000 each, Ben Gerwing said, and are fashioned to reflect the couple's style.
Kate's boots will feature the Edmonton stitch, a feminine pattern with a "blooming butterfly" design; while William's boots will feature the Calgary stitch, a more masculine pattern with a "strong and sharp" look, said Ben.
One bit of information Ben could not divulge about the boots, however, were their sizes.
"It's all so hush, hush kind of stuff," Ben's grandfather told Â鶹´«Ã½.
With a report from CTV's Janet Dirks.
