Princess Kate slips off her heels for rare barefoot moment

Princess Kate is known for her impressive shoe collection , boasting endless pairs of formal court shoes, a hearty selection of espadrilles and sparkling white trainer s .

As a fashion icon, the royal knows that shoes often make an outfit, but occasionally, the Princess of Wales is forced to remove her shoes during public engagements.

The princess has been required to slip her shoes off on several occasions, including as a sign of respect when visiting religious locations, but also to take part in sporting activities.

That said, Princess Kate has not been seen shoe-free in almost a decade, keeping her footwear firmly in place since becoming a more senior member of the royal family – though we suspect that when she gets involved at Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis' sports days at school, she's the first one to kick off her shoes and get racing!

Read on to see Princess Kate's most memorable barefoot appearances…

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Barefoot in India

A 2016 visit to Gandhi Smriti, a museum in Delhi where Mahatma Gandhi, India's founding father, spent the last few years of his life, saw Princess Kate slip off her towering cream court shoes, baring unpolished toes as she walked barefoot on the grass alongside a besocked Prince William.

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Removing her shoes

While Princess Kate likely didn't imagine a barefoot look with her billowing white dress, she still looks as lovely as ever.

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Shoeless in Malaysia

The Princess of Wales showed her respect in Malaysia, with the 2012 trip seeing her visit a mosque in Kalar Lumpur, requiring the royal to remove her nude platform court shoes. On this occasion, Kate was wearing her trademark nude tights.

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Shoe-free in the Solomon Islands

In 2012 Prince William and Princess Kate visited the Solomon Islands, arriving in a war canoe and disembarking the vessel barefoot. Even Prince William removed his socks for the occasion.

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Barefoot in London

Never one to shy away from getting involved in a sporting engagement, Princess Kate removed the nude wedges she was wearing on a visit to Bacon's College in London, slipping off her shoes in order to get closer to the action on the judo match in 2012.

One thing we noticed in all of Princess Kate's shoe-free appearances – the royal never has her toenails painted. This appears to be personal choice rather than royal etiquette, as Meghan Markle and Zara Tindall have both sported painted toenails on royal occasions.

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