Over the years, Queen Camilla has spoken openly about her health, sharing details of her family history of osteoporosis, and her niece, Ayesha Shand, 29, is following in her aunt's footsteps, speaking bravely about her own debilitating condition.
Ayesha, who is the daughter of Queen Camilla's late brother, Mark Shand, opened up about her struggles with endometriosis, which sees her in agonising pain due to tissue similar to the lining of the womb growing in other places, such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes.
"It's isolating, agonising and completely unbearable," Amelia wrote alongside a candid video on Instagram, which sees her sniffing through tears.
© Getty"Every month I ingest hundreds of painkillers, faint, vomit, spend nights and days crouched on the floor crying. This is all followed by intense waves of helplessness and depression."
Watch the clip below to see Ayesha's honest insight into endometriosis.
Ayesha, who is set to undergo surgery in the coming weeks, added: "Endometriosis is very difficult to diagnose, treat and, ultimately, cure. Most women live this cycle of pain in silence. I am lucky enough to be operated in a few weeks."
The 29-year-old's followers were quick to send her their support, offering words of sympathy for her plight.
READ: Endometriosis: how to manage the condition
"What a nightmare. I know quite a few women who suffer chronically and it is just the most horrific feelings. Thank you for bringing awareness to this. I am sending you all of my love and lots of light and good energy to your beautiful, delicate uterus during your surgery," one wrote, while another commented: "Hugging you so tight — you are a warrior."
Though Ayesha didn't share the surgery she is having, endometriosis can be treated with a laparoscopy, which sees small cuts made in the stomach to destroy or cut out the endometriosis tissue.
© GettyDuring laparoscopy, fine instruments are used to cut away or apply heat, a laser, or a beam of special gas to the patches of endometriosis tissue to destroy or remove them. The procedure is carried out under general anaesthetic.
There is no cure for endometriosis, but surgery can relieve symptoms. Some people opt for a hysterectomy to help with endometriosis.
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Queen Camilla had a hysterectomy in 2007, at the age of 59. Post-surgery the royal spent several days in hospital, before resting for six weeks, with planned engagements postponed.
At the time, Clarence House described the operation as routine and said it was not cancer-related but refused to discuss Camilla's condition further, so it's not known whether she too suffered endometriosis.
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