The Duchess of Cornwall's life has been profoundly affected by osteoporosis.
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Duchess Camilla's mother sadly died from the condition at the age of 72, while her grandmother also suffered from osteoporosis. The plight of her family led the duchess to become president of the Royal Osteoporosis Society, a cause she has dedicated her life to.
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"The charity is incredibly proud to have her as the president and she has worked tirelessly – holding receptions for members and volunteers, attending events and visiting hospital units across the UK to meet people affected by the condition," said Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood, who is an ambassador for the charity.
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"Her support has been one of the charity's greatest assets in raising awareness of the importance of preventing and treating osteoporosis," Craig continued.
Osteoporosis causes bones to break and lose strength easily, with Duchess Camilla's mother's bones becoming so fragile that they broke from gentle impact such as hugging.
© Photo: Getty ImagesDuchess Camilla has dedicated her life to raising awareness of osteoporosis
"I remember when a friend of hers came in one day just to give her a hug, her rib broke," the royal once said in an interview with Gloria Hunniford. "It was as bad as that."
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The condition also affected Duchess 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?'"
© Photo: Getty ImagesDuchess Camilla's whole family was impacted by osteoporosis
Nonetheless, Duchess Camilla added that her mother's condition was so bad that "occasionally when she moved or you touched her she literally screamed".
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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."
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