Prince 'swaps boots for trainers'
Prince Harry has been "excused boots" during training in the British army after suffering agonizing blisters during an exercise, UK media reports say.
The 20-year-old Prince, who is undergoing basic training at the Royal Military Academy in Surrey, developed weals on his feet after a tough five-day excursion last week.
According to the Daily Mail, Harry was given permission to wear trainers for a few days until his feet healed after "a particularly nasty case" of blisters.
As part of an exercise known as Operation Self-Reliance Prince Harry reportedly endured ten-mile fast marches through Ashdown Forest, southern England, carrying a heavy back pack and rifle.
Normally new cadets are barred from wearing any footwear except for the heavy black lace-up boots, which are provided several months in advance so they can break them in.
However, the Prince was apparently granted special dispensation to wear trainers after he asked medical staff to dress his wounds and they saw how bad the blisters were.
A royal source told the UK's Press Association that the prince had visited the infirmary after developing blisters, but said it had been a "minor thing".
"He's not the only one," the source told PA.
