How Queen Camilla owns 13 pairs of these ‘bunion busting’ and ‘shock resistant’ shoes after making her debut in brand’s £159 leather block heels six years ago, writes CLAUDIA JOSEPH

They’ve become a staple of the Queen’s wardrobe: the bunion-busting heels she wears on Royal Walkabouts.

Now MailOnline has gone behind the scenes of the Sole Bliss factory in the Spanish province of Alicante, to discover how Camilla’s £159 Ingrid pumps are made.

And we discovered that four factories and a team of 50 skilled artisans are involved in their creation, from their intricate design to their impact-resistant heel tips.

“Sole Bliss shoes are made differently than all other shoes,” explains designer Lisa Kay. ‘Our skilled artisans are obsessed with every detail to create the most comfortable shoes.

‘The shoe industry is incredibly technical and it is very difficult to make a quality pair of shoes because there are so many steps involved. In our factory alone, each pair of shoes passes through fifty pairs of hands.’

It’s been six years since Camilla, 76, started wearing Sole Bliss, “comfortable, stylish shoes for bunions and wide feet.”

She made her debut in the brand at the 2018 Royal Cornwall show, wearing their £159 Ingrid Camel leather block heels.

Since then, she has invested in more than a dozen pairs of the company’s shoes and trainers and has worn them to almost every royal engagement – including the week after the Queen’s death, when she suffered a broken toe.

All shoes are equipped with advanced technology to contour the contours of the bunions and an ingenious device to prevent pronation: the inward rolling of the feet.

Lisa, 59, launched Sole Bliss in 2017 and the following year designed the Ingrid, a two-inch block heel. Camilla was one of her first customers and owns more than 13 pairs.

There are three different types of heels: a leather heel, a stacked wooden heel and a glitter heel. Camilla has both leather and stacked heels.

Lisa visits Spain four times a year, before each season, to visit the tanneries to buy the leather and suede material for the soles and uppers and choose the heels.

“Our factory will source all the raw materials for the shoes from other factories and then produce them,” she says.

‘There are tanneries, last makers, heel factories and shoe factories.

‘We have been working with the same guys for about 25 years, so we have enough contacts that we don’t have to visit trade fairs.

‘The Ingrid has been in the collection for five years, so it’s more a matter of reinventing the classics, but also keeping the collection interesting and having something new for our customers.

‘We always think two seasons ahead. We are currently putting the finishing touches to the autumn/winter collection and are thinking ahead to next summer. So we are working on three collections at the same time.’

After designing the Ingrid, Lisa hired a craftsman to hand-carve a wooden last in size 38 – her own size. Once perfected, it was replicated in resin in 13 sizes, from size 36 to 42, including half sizes.

All lasts, both for round and pointed toes, have a deep and wide toe box at the front of the shoe, so that there is room for wider feet and bunions.

“Our lasts are unique,” ​​she says. ‘Most people with bunions or wide feet size up to accommodate, but that means the back of your foot can slip. We built them with extra room in the front, but they are neatly proportioned in the back.

Once she has selected the leather and heels and made the last, it is up to the factory to make the shoes. The first step is to stretch the leather over the last to create the upper.

It is left on the last for 24 hours so that it takes its shape, which is essentially the shape of the foot. “The longer shoes stay on the last, the better,” Lisa adds.

The upper is then removed from the last, the lining is stitched to the upper, and the bunion bed – a strategically placed stretch panel within the shoe – is attached to the lining without seams rubbing on the bunion.

When the upper part of the shoe is ready, it’s time to attach the soles. Firstly, a palm is attached to ensure that the shoe and sole fit together comfortably, with no gaps between the sole and the footbed.

Two soles – and an inner and outer sole – are attached to the palm, the heels are attached to the shoe and the shock-resistant heel tips provide the finishing touch.

After the shoe is finished, it’s time for the insoles, which have three layers of memory foam to protect and cushion the soles of the feet.

All Sole Bliss shoes and sneakers have three different layers of high-quality, antibacterial memory foam for custom cushioning.

The base layer provides high-quality shock absorption and protects the ball of the foot. The middle shapes the contours of the foot for customized support and the top provides softness and comfort.

Finally, a foam cushion is attached to support the arch of the foot, to keep the foot in the correct position and to prevent pronation, the inward rolling of the foot. “You’ll feel like you’re walking on clouds,” Lisa laughs.

After the shoes are packed in pale pink boxes with the silver Sole Bliss logo, they are sent to Sole Bliss’s head office in Watford, Hertfordshire, where they are checked to ensure they are suitable for Royalty.