Marie Claire UK
  • Fashion Fashion
      • Fashion
        • View all Fashion
        • Fashion Trends
        • Shopping
        • Watches and Jewellery
        • Fashion News
  • Beauty Beauty
      • Beauty
        • View all Beauty
        • Fragrance
        • Hair
        • Make Up
        • Skincare
        • Nails
        • Marie Claire Beauty Awards
  • Health Health
      • Health
        • View all Health
        • Fitness
        • Nutrition
        • Female Health
        • Wellbeing
  • Life Life
      • Life
        • View all Life
        • Opinions
        • Travel
        • Sustainability
        • Weddings
        • Money & Work
        • Competitions
  • Culture Culture
      • Culture
        • View all Culture
        • TV and Film
        • Celebrity News
        • Books
        • Royal News
  • Vouchers Vouchers
      • Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Mint Velvet
        • Karen Millen
        • H&M
        • nobody's child
        • ASOS
        • ARKET
        • MANGO
      • Designer Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Reiss
        • THE OUTNET
        • SSENSE
        • Mytheresa
        • Liberty London
        • Selfridges
        • Farfetch
      • Accessories
        • View all Vouchers
        • AllSaints
        • Aspinal of London
        • Charles & Keith
        • River Island
        • FitFlop
        • Kate Spade
        • Vagabond
      • Jewellery
        • View all Vouchers
        • Pandora
        • Abbott Lyon
        • Goldsmiths
        • Beaverbrooks
        • Astrid & Miyu
        • Swarovski
        • Angara Jewellery
      • Beauty
        • View all Vouchers
        • Sephora
        • Cult Beauty
        • Space NK
        • Dyson
        • Clarins
        • Look Fantastic
        • Clinique
      • Activewear
        • View all Vouchers
        • Lululemon
        • Gymshark
        • Sweaty Betty
        • Nike
        • adidas
        • New Balance
        • Helly Hansen
  • NEWSLETTER Signup to our newsletter
  • logoCreated with Sketch.
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Latest Issue
    • Marie Claire Masters
    • Autumn Winter 2026
    • Nail Trends 2026
    • Best Investment Bags
    • Best Perfumes
    1. Style

    The Queen actually has someone to break in new shoes for her

    You would if you could, wouldn't you?

    Penny Goldstone's avatar
    By Penny Goldstone
    Published 10 December 2018 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    queen shoes
    (Image credit: Rex Features (Shutterstock))
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    You would if you could, wouldn't you?

    You know when you buy a new pair of shoes and you can’t wait to wear them, but they tear your feet to absolute smithereens as soon as you put them on?

    Now imagine if you had someone who could wear them in a little for you, just enough so you’re past the god-awful pain level, but not so much that they look scuffed.

    Nice right? Well, the genius that is HRH The Queen has one such person, all to herself. To be fair, if you're royalty, you're just not going to faff about with Compeed and blisters like the rest of us, are you?

    Stewart Parvin, who has designed her Maj's wardrobe for the past 11 years, told the Evening Standard that she has a staff member whose entire job is to walk around Buckingham Palace in her new shoes.

    You may like
    • AW26 Shoe Trends From Heeled Loafers to Square Toes and Lace-Up Courts, Consider This Your Guide to Autumn's Defining Shoe Trends
    • Suede loafers Suede Loafers Are the Classic-Cool Shoe We Reach for Every Autumn—Meet this Season's Best Styles
    • Lily Russo-Bah As a Fashion Director, I See Hundreds of New Collections—These Are the High-Street Drops and Investment Pieces I’d Spend My Money On This Week

    queen shoes

    (Image credit: Rex Features (Shutterstock))

    He said, 'The shoes have to be immediately comfortable … she does get someone to wear them. The Queen can never say "I’m uncomfortable, I can’t walk any more." She has the right to have someone wear them in.'

    The shoe breaker (as we like to call her) apparently dons a pair of beige cotton ankle socks and must only walk on carpets until the leather is softened, thus keeping the sole pristine.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    Queen Elizabeth II is known for wearing black patent heels by Anello & Davide for work commitments, and we all know how tough patent leather can be, so we get where she's coming from.

    Now you know that it's not just money you won't find in the Queen's purse, it's plasters too. Love it.

    Penny Goldstone
    Penny Goldstone
    Social Links Navigation
    Contributing Fashion Editor

    Penny Goldstone is the Contributing Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK. She writes about catwalk trends and the latest high street and Instagram sartorial must-haves. She also helms the Women Who Win franchise.

    She has worked in fashion for over 10 years, contributing to publications such as Cosmopolitan, Red, Good Housekeeping, and Stylist.

    Read more
    AW26 Shoe Trends
    Shopping From Heeled Loafers to Square Toes and Lace-Up Courts, Consider This Your Guide to Autumn's Defining Shoe Trends
    Suede loafers
    Shopping Suede Loafers Are the Classic-Cool Shoe We Reach for Every Autumn—Meet this Season's Best Styles
     
     
    Lily Russo-Bah
    Fashion As a Fashion Director, I See Hundreds of New Collections—These Are the High-Street Drops and Investment Pieces I’d Spend My Money On This Week
    Cara My Life in London
    Fashion Cara Delevingne on Designing Her First Collection for Topshop and London's Best-Kept Secrets
     
     
    Latest in Style
    collage of October fashion collaborations
    Fashion From Rixo to Burberry and M&S Lingerie, These are the Fashion Collaborations We’re Excited About Right Now
    Olivia Munn trench coat black trousers
    Fashion Olivia Munn’s Swing Trench Is the Rainy-Weather Layer That Adds Ladylike Polish to Every Outfit
     
     
    A scattering of gift guide products on a beige background
    Shopping A Gift Guide for the Eras
    image of Michelle Pfeiffer in Scarface with gift guide products around it
    Shopping Gifts for the Woman... in Her ‘Less Is More’ Era
     
     
    Latest in News
    New Beauty Launches: Amouage, Haus Labs, XERF
    Beauty The Beauty Digest: Is XERF Worth the Hype? Plus, Amouage’s New Body Collection & The Beauty Beat Returns
    Jeans And Jackets
    Shopping Celine Dion, Daisy Edgar-Jones and Sarah Pidgeon Swear by This Trophy Jacket-and-Jeans Formula for Instant Fashion Confidence
     
     
    Vogue World Robots
    Fashion AI Is Shaping the Future of Fashion—Can Creative Thought Survive?
    New Beauty Launches Romilly Wilde / Cécred / Bobbi Brown
    Beauty The Beauty Digest: Cécred Comes to the UK, Romilly Wilde Returns & £22 Skincare Gets Serious
     
     
    logoCreated with Sketch.
    • Site Archive
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Terms and conditions
    • Advertise with us
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • About us
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire UK is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.