Kate Middleton reveals her un-pedicured toes with Prince William during India trip

Mangalore Today News Network

Apr 12, 2016: She packed 15 outfits carefully chosen to give a nod to her host’s culture and local style - but one element of pre-tour preparation that the Duchess of Cambridge neglected was to get a pedicure.

 

The Duchess, who is on a seven day official visit to India and Bhutan with Prince William, slipped off her shoes during a visit to the Gandhi Smiriti museum this afternoon, revealing her unpolished toes.

It’s perhaps no surprise that she left her toes natural as the Duchess is known to favour an understated look and only wears neutral shades on her fingernails, however an expert has revealed that the royal’s feet reveal a few podiatric problems caused by wearing high, pointed heels.

 

Dave Wein, Podiatrist at Carnation Footcare told FEMAIL: ’There looks like there may be some rubbing or even the start of a corn on the little toe. You can also see the fourth and fifth toes deviate towards the centre of the foot.’

Dave explained that the problem is usually caused by wearing the high heeled, pointed shoes such as the Duchess was wearing today.

 

’This clawed position will normally have been created by pressure from pointed shoes, especially where high heels have delivered excessive pressure on the toes and ball of foot in a pointed toe box,’ he said.

He suggested that Kate wear more sensible heels, especially in the Indian heat. 

’Perhaps its a necessity of the job, but wearing lower heals with a softer upper and stiff sole to absorb dorsal forces would be an appropriate shoe choice. With the local heat and humidity of this tour breathable shoes and regular foot exercises will help,’ he said.

 

He added that Kate appears to have ’relatively low arches’.

’This flattening of the long arch of the foot can be associated with pain in the feet, ankles and knees. It can also lead to extra pressure as the feet go through there normal walking motion and have to roll in too much - known as excessive pronation - to push off to the next step.’

Cheshire-based podiatrist Charlotte Wood was also left concerned by the condition of the royal’s feet, pointing out an enlargement of her big toe joint, which resembles a condition called functional hallux limitus.

 

’This often leads to thickening at this joint which is clearly visible, and often leads to arthritis,’ she explained. ’If this condition was to worsen it can lead to hallux rigidus whereby there is no motion at all in the big toe joint.

’It is surprising that Kate is able to wear high heels most of the time, as this condition often results in pain, swelling and stiffness.’

Charlotte suggested that the solution would be for Kate to wear ’custom made orthotics’.

’They are often used in these situations to reduce pain and improve foot function. Such devices would stabilise the foot and support the arches, which are very low in this case.

’The movement within the big toe joint could be addressed and the right amount of shock absorption provided. However orthotic devices are limited in which footwear they can be allocated, so a change into more sensible footwear may be a good idea if a successful intervention were to be made.’

 

Charlotte also observed that Kate’s fifth toe appears to be migrating underneath the others.

’The term used for this is a Tailor’s bunion. The terms is derived from the cross-legged position of a tailor, which places abnormal pressure on the lateral aspect of the fifth metatarsal bone. This problem often leads to the development of a corn on the edge of the fifth toe due to pressure.

’The lesser toes are forming what is known as clawed toes, most commonly caused by muscle ortendon imbalance resulting in the bending of the toe.

 

 

’This is aggravated by shoes that don’t fit properly; in this case it is high heels with a narrow toe box causing the toes to be squashed. Symptoms include pain, corns and calluses. It is very likely Kate will suffer from apical, dorsal and potentially interdigital corns.’

However, Charlotte said that it’s difficult for women like the Duchess who are in the public eye to wear ultra sensible footwear when they’re expected to meet a certain level of glamour.

’The issue regarding foot problems and inappropriate footwear is never ending, especially for women like Kate who are constantly in the spot light. Another example of this would be Victoria Beckham; her fashion business requires her to wear high heeled shoes which have contributed to her foot complaints,’ she said.

 

Prince William and Kate Middleton with Sachin Tendulkar during a charity program at Oval Maidan in Mumbai

Recently, Victoria Beckham has wisely opted for trainers after years of wearing high heels. It is very difficult for women to wear a sensible shoe which would not provoke such problems. This is an issue I come across daily in my practice and often some compromises have to be made The Duchess’s feet issues were revealed as she slipped off her baby pink Rupert Sanderson pumps ahead of entering the museum dedicated to the life and legacy of Mahatma Gandhi, India’s founding father, at the house where he was assassinated in 1948.

Inside Gandhi Smriti, which literally means ’Gandhi memory’, in the main house, the royal couple were first shown a giant bronze statue inside the complex of Gandhi with two children.

 

Prince William and Kate Middleton with Sachin Tendulkar during a charity program at Oval Maidan in Mumbai

Kate asked their guide, museum director, Dipanker Shrigyan, the significance of the statue. The director said the girl, who was holding flowers, represented hope, and the boy who was holding a dove represented peace.

After touring the museum - which quotes Gandhi on the sign at the entrance ’My life is my message’ - they were shown the room where he had his last meeting with Sardar Patel between 4pm to 5pm before leaving for his fatal prayer meeting.
They were also shown a spinning wheel demonstration similar to one that Gandhi used operated by 65-year-old Mihil Lal.

She and the Duke of Cambridge followed in Gandhi’s footsteps, tracing his final walk from his humble bedroom to the spot in the garden where he was killed.

They scattered rose petals at the very spot where a fanatical Hindu nationalist shot the revered leader three times in the chest on 30th January 1948.

Written on the stone plaque was Gandhi’s last words ’Hey Ram’ – meaning ’Oh God.’

After paying their respects at the memorial the couple listened to a local choir of schoolchildren.

Her flyaway hair and outfit continued to cause her grief as she tried to stand in a moment of reflection while the Last Post was played.

So it was probably a relief to the Duchess to have a chance of outfit for a lavish garden party to celebrate the Queen’s 90th birthday at the British High Commissioner’s residence in New Delhi

The Duchess of Cambridge chose a £3,000 ensemble adorned in Indian-inspired embroidery and sparkling crystal embellishments that appeared the ideal choice for an evening in the Indian heat.

The Royal couple are guests of honour at the event where William is expected to pay tribute to his grandmother before hundreds of prominent Indians.

The Duchess’s costume change may also have provided welcome relief after her previous outfit caused her some embarrassment when they paid their respects to India’s war dead earlier in the day.