Fred & Gladys (continued)

Camilla goes barefoot in Oz but Charles keeps his suede shoes on

AFTER the chill of England, the Duchess of Cornwall was clearly keen to make the most of a trip to the beach in sunny Australia yesterday.

But while she took off her shoes to go for a paddle, there was no chance of her husband feeling the sand between his toes. Prince Charles kept his brown suede brogues on as they strolled down to the water’s edge at Broadbeach on Queensland’s Gold Coast, on a visit designed to promote sustainable use of the oceans.

‘Don’t go in, darling,’ he advised as Camilla, wearing a light pink kaftan by Anna Valentine and white palazzo pants, dipped her dusky pink-varnished toenails in the surf.

The couple – who like to call each other Fred and Gladys – are visiting the Gold Coast for the Commonwealth Games, which Charles opened on behalf of the Queen. On a trip to the athletes’ village, they showed their sporting prowess – or lack of it – by playing a game of ping pong and then shooting some pool. Camilla, 70, eventually decided table tennis was a sport she would ‘leave to the professionals’. She also made it evident that she was not familiar with pool, taking some time to work out how you use a cue.

Charles, 69, seemed a little more adept at the sports, but as he clasped his bat he displayed the curiously swollen fingers he always suffers abroad – despite being such a seasoned traveller. Over the years medical experts have suggested he could be suffering from a number of ailments, ranging from poor circulation to arthritis, which would clearly have been exacerbated by the long flight Down Under.

The radio airwaves in Australia were dominated by a different royal topic.

In a new biography, Tom Bower claims Charles has previously insisted on taking a host of creature comforts with him when travelling – including his own toilet seat.

Asked by a local radio host whether it was true, the prince responded rather unregally: ‘Oh don’t believe all that c**p.’