Since elevating herself from actress to royal after marrying Prince Harry back in April of this year, Meghan Markle has barely spent a single day outside of the spotlight. Every week, we hear something new about her relatives, or how she's "broken royal protocol", or - more recently - how she and her husband have been enjoying their trip to Oceania.

Oh, and the baby news, of course!

But eagle-eyed fans and royal commentators are never quite satisfied with what they've already found out, and are always searching for new information about the duchess of Sussex. And, thanks to some pictures of Meghan's feet during her visit to New Zealand, people think that the former Suits star may have undergone a niche form of toe-breaking surgery at some point over the past few years...

For her bunions.

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Getty]]

Older photos of the duchess show that she had significant bunions on the inside of her feet, but now, in the snaps from this week, they appear to have gone.

Here's a couple of pictures of her from 2013, in which you can clearly see the large, painful bumps on the insides of her feet, below the big toe.

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Getty]]

And here's a close-up from her recent trip:

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Getty]]

As you can see, the bunion has gone, and in its place is a fine, barely-noticeable scar. According to one surgeon, this is a tell-tale sign of a specific type of surgery performed to remove painful bunions.

"Meghan’s scar is 100% due to open bunion surgery," said Consultant trauma and orthopaedic surgeon, Kumar Kunasingam. "While the scar is only 4-5cm long, this type of surgery can be very painful and it can take up to three months before patients can wear heels again."

The surgeon then went on to explain how the surgery is performed, and what exactly caused the scar.

"The joint on metatarsal [the bone above the big toe] where bunions tend to occur has many layers. During surgery you have to cut through all these layers to get to the bone, which is then broken, straightened and pinned.

"While keyhole surgery has a faster recovery time, it’s a lot less common in the US and Canada which is where I imagine Meghan had hers done."

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Getty]]

Contrary to popular belief, bunions are not caused by wearing high heels (though wearing them can't be all that comfortable if you have the condition). Rather, the bony lumps tend to be hereditary. Still, those who suffer from them (or are likely to) are recommended to wear flat, comfortable shoes that leave lots of room to accommodate the toes. Thanks to the strict rules that Meghan Markle has to follow, though, this simply isn't an option for her.

Thankfully, she's probably got enough in the bank to pay for more surgery if she ever needs it again.

Since elevating herself from actress to royal after marrying Prince Harry back in April of this year, Meghan Markle has barely spent a single day outside of the spotlight. Every week, we hear something new about her relatives, or how she's "broken royal protocol", or - more recently - how she and her husband have been enjoying their trip to Oceania.

Oh, and the baby news, of course!

But eagle-eyed fans and royal commentators are never quite satisfied with what they've already found out, and are always searching for new information about the duchess of Sussex. And, thanks to some pictures of Meghan's feet during her visit to New Zealand, people think that the former Suits star may have undergone a niche form of toe-breaking surgery at some point over the past few years...

For her bunions.

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Getty]]

Older photos of the duchess show that she had significant bunions on the inside of her feet, but now, in the snaps from this week, they appear to have gone.

Here's a couple of pictures of her from 2013, in which you can clearly see the large, painful bumps on the insides of her feet, below the big toe.

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Getty]]

And here's a close-up from her recent trip:

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Getty]]

As you can see, the bunion has gone, and in its place is a fine, barely-noticeable scar. According to one surgeon, this is a tell-tale sign of a specific type of surgery performed to remove painful bunions.

"Meghan’s scar is 100% due to open bunion surgery," said Consultant trauma and orthopaedic surgeon, Kumar Kunasingam. "While the scar is only 4-5cm long, this type of surgery can be very painful and it can take up to three months before patients can wear heels again."

The surgeon then went on to explain how the surgery is performed, and what exactly caused the scar.

"The joint on metatarsal [the bone above the big toe] where bunions tend to occur has many layers. During surgery you have to cut through all these layers to get to the bone, which is then broken, straightened and pinned.

"While keyhole surgery has a faster recovery time, it’s a lot less common in the US and Canada which is where I imagine Meghan had hers done."

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Getty]]

Contrary to popular belief, bunions are not caused by wearing high heels (though wearing them can't be all that comfortable if you have the condition). Rather, the bony lumps tend to be hereditary. Still, those who suffer from them (or are likely to) are recommended to wear flat, comfortable shoes that leave lots of room to accommodate the toes. Thanks to the strict rules that Meghan Markle has to follow, though, this simply isn't an option for her.

Thankfully, she's probably got enough in the bank to pay for more surgery if she ever needs it again.