Queen Consort Camilla visited the newly opened Royal Osteoporosis Society offices on Wednesday, discussing a cause close to her heart.
King Charles' wife was celebrating the work of the Royal Osteoporosis Society, joining a reception with invited guests to discuss the work of the charity, which is extremely close to her heart, with her mother sadly dying from the condition in 1994 at the age of 71.
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Camilla's grandmother also suffered from the disease, and passed away in 1986.
In a 2021 interview with Gloria Hunniford for the BBC to mark World Osteoporosis Day, Queen Consort Camilla recalled the most poignant memory of her mother's battle.
"I remember when a friend of hers came in one day just to give her a hug, her rib broke," she explained. "It was as bad as that."
© Photo: RexQueen Consort Camilla with her mother during childhood
Camilla went on to tell how her late mother Rosalind Shand's age was said to be to blame. "My mother, I think, went to see everybody you could possibly think of, and they all said the same thing – 'Sorry, you're old'. We just watched her shrinking before our eyes," she said.
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The condition also affected Camilla and the rest of her family. "It was terrible," she said. "Because we didn't know anything about it, so at some point we thought, 'Well, is she making a great fuss about all this?'"
Nonetheless, Camilla added that her mother's condition was so bad that "occasionally when she moved or you touched her she literally screamed".
© Photo: Getty ImagesQueen Consort Camilla works hard to raise awareness of osteoporosis
Camilla has since worked tirelessly to raise awareness about the condition and is now ambassador of the Royal Osteoporosis Society.
She believes education is key. "I think we all think we're immortal, don’t we, when we're young," she said. "I think I'd like to see more young people being educated. I'd love to see more young people understand it, not just thinking, you know, 'poor old bats, we're going to get old and that's what's going to happen to us'. But actually understanding what actually happens and how they can prevent it."
© Photo: Getty ImagesQueen Consort Camilla says education is key when it comes to osteoporosis
Gloria went on to ask Camilla if she worries about the younger generation of her family. "I think my daughter's generation does listen," she explained. "It's just getting through to grandchildren. But, you know, they're starting to be teenagers. I would show them pictures of my mother, before and after she got osteoporosis. I would make them look at photographs and say, 'Look, if you don't take care, that's what will happen to you'."
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