By appointment to… the Royal bunions! Suffering Camilla forks out £180 for soothing trainers 

Not even a Royal is spared the scourge of a bunion – which is why the Duchess of Cornwall will soon be putting her best foot forward in trainers.

The Mail on Sunday can reveal the Duchess, 73, who has long complained of the painful effects of Royal walkabouts, has invested in the £179 Sole Bliss shoes to soothe her aching toes.

The fashionable shoes are specially designed by podiatrists to provide extra cushioning to wide and bunion-prone feet, and have already been acquired by Dame Helen Mirren, comedienne Dawn French and Loose Women panellists Denise Welsh and Saira Khan.

Camilla recently bought two pairs of the brand’s ‘Hero’ trainers in black and navy – making her achingly trendy, rather than merely aching.

The Duchess has made no secret of her foot pain, which stems from the 221 public engagements she carries out each year. They leave her ‘screaming in agony at the end of the day’, she has revealed, desperate to kick her heels off ‘at every opportunity’.

Three years ago, on the eve of her 70th birthday, she admitted she could no longer wear heels over two inches. ‘I can’t do it any more,’ she said.

The trainers have an ‘innovative bunion bed’, cushioned soles, wider widths, seam-free leather linings and a device to prevent pronation – the inward rolling of the feet.

Designer Lisa Kay, a mother-of-two, spent five years perfecting the technology especially for those suffering bunions. The bony bumps, which form at the joint at the base of the big toe, deform the natural shape of the foot. Standard shoes can be painful, but specialist shoes often lack style.

The fashionable shoes are specially designed by podiatrists to provide extra cushioning to wide and bunion-prone feet. Pictured: Navy Hero leather trainers by Sole Bliss

Ms Kay told The Mail on Sunday last year that she first spotted the Duchess wearing Sole Bliss shoes at the Royal Cornwall Show in June 2018.

‘I was relaxing after a day’s work at my factory in Italy when I first saw a photo online of the Duchess wearing my shoes,’ she said. ‘We immediately received emails from our customers asking if the Duchess was indeed wearing the same shoes as them! I’m delighted and honoured that Her Royal Highness continues to wear Sole Bliss shoes.’

Camilla is not the only Royal to struggle on her feet. The Duchess of Cambridge wears £14.95 Alice Bow insoles, while the Queen’s dresser Angela Kelly wears in Her Majesty’s shoes for her.