Duchess of Cornwall reveals her secret to staying fit during lockdown

camilla duchess cornwall ballet dancing coronavirus lockdown
(Image credit: Getty)

The Duchess of Cornwall has revealed how she's mananging to stay healthy and active during the coronavirus lockdown.

The Duchess of Cornwall has revealed that she has taken up ballet dancing to help her pass the time during the coronavirus-imposed lockdown.

Announcing the exciting news that she is set to become the Vice Patron of the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD), Duchess Camilla shared a lovely video to the Clarence House Instagram page showing a three-way call between former Strictly Come Dancing judge Darcey Bussell, Angela Rippon and herself.

🎥 With the news that The Duchess of Cornwall is to become Vice Patron of the Royal Academy of Dance, Her Royal Highness undertook a video call with @darceybussellofficial and Angela Rippon to discuss the Silver Swans programme. 🩰,’ Clarence House captioned the video.

A photo posted by on

In taking on the new role, Her Royal Highness joins Her Majesty The Queen, who has been Patron of the @royalacademyofdance since 1953.

‘Find out more about the RAD’s Silver Swans programme and how you can get involved from home, following the link in our Instagram Story. #InternationalDanceDay’.

Speaking about her new active hobby, Duchess Camilla said, "I had certainly never done ballet before, and it doesn't matter whether you have done ballet or not, it's something that will make you feel better.

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“It gives you a certain amount of confidence in yourself, it's just a bit of discipline."

She also revealed ballet is not the only thing keeping her active during isolation.

"We have all got to keep active because if we don’t we will seize up, we won’t be able to get out of bed", she said.

“It doesn’t matter if it is 10 minutes or 20 minutes, it just starts off the day.

“I do a combination of a bit of Silver Swans, a bit of pilates and a lot of walking, which I love.”

The Duchess also commented on her new role as the Vice Patron of RAD, saying, "It's a real honour for me to be asked.

“My visit there was so memorable, first of all because of the Silver Swans, but actually meeting everybody. It had a wonderful feeling of comradeship and also, it's such a happy place. I think dancing makes you happy!"

A photo posted by on

"We are utterly delighted that the Duchess of Cornwall is going to be the Vice-Patron of the Royal Academy of Dance,” added Dame Darcey Bussell.

“It was such an honour to have the opportunity to discuss the work of the RAD in more detail with Her Royal Highness.

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“Ballet is a brilliant tool that you can use in every part of your life; it's perfect for improving stability, posture, your core.

“It was fantastic to hear how the Duchess has benefited from dancing, and I hope she continues to enjoy her Silver Swans ballet classes”.

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Aleesha Badkar
Digital Beauty Editor, woman&home

Aleesha is Digital Beauty Editor at woman&home, where she gets to share her expertise into all the best techniques, sharpest tools and newest products—with a particular savvy in skincare and fragrance.

Previously, she was Deputy Editor and Beauty & Fashion Editor for My Imperfect Life, where she headed up the beauty, fashion and eCommerce pages. In the past, she has worked as Shopping Writer at woman&home, gained an AOP awards nomination after working on their news team, contributed to Women's Health, Stylist and Goodto and earned an MA in Magazine Journalism from City, University of London.