Why Queen Camilla Appeared Barefoot During Her Australia Tour

Queen Camilla wearing a white dress and shaking hands with a large crowd of fans waving Australian flags

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 23 October 2024

King Charles and Queen Camilla have been taking on plenty of long days as they tour Australia and Samoa this week, with the couple meeting thousands of fans (and making quite a few headlines while being heckled in Parliament). But as anyone who's ever regretted their footwear decisions after a tiring day on their feet knows, sometimes you've just got to throw in the towel.

The 77-year-old wife of King Charles made a truly relatable move at the end of a busy day in Sydney on Tuesday, Oct. 22, slipping off her pumps and walking barefoot up the stairs of Admiralty House in photos snapped of the royal couple. Queen Camilla carried her tan pumps and ivory scarf in one hand as she headed up the steps after what was likely an exhausting day of royal engagements.

Camilla typically wears comfy cushioned pumps from celeb-loved British brand Sole Bliss—she's worn her beloved $299 Ingrid style more than 80 times, per a rep from the brand—but it seems she learned her lesson on Tuesday when she departed from her go-to shoe.

Queen Camilla walking up a staircase outside barefoot followed by King charles wearing a gray suit — Queen Camilla ditched her heels at the end of a long day in Sydney.

Queen Camilla and King charles standing in front of Sydney Opera House with a group of people waving their arms in the air — The Queen wore buckle-accented beige pumps during her jam-packed day of engagements with The King.

One can't blame Queen Camilla for slipping out of her heels after an action-packed week of engagements (and selfies). On their sixth and final day in Australia on Tuesday, the royals carried out a number of visits before they left the sunny country, even firing up the barbie to cook sausages during a casual BBQ with community groups.

However, they declined to try out the fruits of their labor, per GB News, although the manager of a local restaurant said the King and Queen told him they "could tell [the sausages] were great without trying them."

Camilla and Charles also visited Sydney's iconic Opera House, greeting a huge crowd of fans who had waited hours to see the King and Queen. The couple then hopped aboard a boat in Sydney Harbor to conduct an Australian Navy fleet review.

On Oct. 23, the royals arrived in Samoa, where they will attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. And since King Charles was given a preview of their visit during a recent Buckingham Palace reception where he tried out Samoan dancing, it seems like Camilla better grab her comfy heels this time.

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Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.