Duchess of Cornwall appeals to people to stay active during pandemic as she opens up about personal loss

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall has appealed to people to stay active during the pandemic as she opened up about a personal loss.

• Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall has spoken out in honour of World Osteoporosis Day, urging the population to stay active throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
• The illness is one very close to the Duchess’s heart as she lost both her mother and grandmother to the condition.
• In other royal news, Sophie, Countess of Wessexhas revealed why daughter Lady Louise had to give up her favourite hobby.

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall has spoken out to mark today’s World Osteoporosis Day as she made a speech in honour of her late mother and grandmother.

Duchess Camilla has been president of the Royal Osteoporosis Society (ROS) for nearly two decades, since 2001.

Before becoming president of the organisation, she was a patron for the society following the deaths of her mother Rosalind Shand and grandmother Sonia Keppel as a result of the osteoporosis.

Speaking of her the difficulty she faced watching her mother suffer from the ‘devastating disease', the Duchess said, “In those dark old days it was seldom discussed, rarely diagnosed and usually attributed to old women with so-called ‘dowager's humps’.

“My family and I knew nothing about it and were at a loss to know how we could help alleviate the terrible pain she suffered.”

Going into the lifestyle factors that go towards avoiding the condition, Duchess Camilla continued, “We know it is vital to eat the right food, to take regular and weight-bearing exercise and, so importantly, to educate young people as to how to look after their bone health.”

She then appealed to the population to stay active throughout the coronavirus pandemic, adding, “It has, of course, been more challenging to get out and about this year, but we must all ensure, for the sake of our bones, that we stay as active as possible, even in the midst of a pandemic.”

“I couldn't end without saying a particular thank you to all the fantastic scientists who, through their combined efforts, are doing so much to find a cure for osteoporosis which, 26 years ago, would have been beyond my family's, and many, many others', wildest dreams,” she went on.

“We can therefore mark this World Osteoporosis Day with hope and confidence that, together, we will be able to bring an end to this ‘silent’ disease that has brought such misery and pain to millions of people across the globe.”