Britain’s Duchess of Cornwall was "determined" to help others avoid osteoporosis.
The 68-year-old royal has admitted since she lost her mother Rosalind Shand to the illness aged 72 years old she felt she had to learn more about the medical condition, which leads to brittle and fragile bones for her "mama’s sake".
She told PEOPLE: "I became involved in it [The national Osteoporosis Society] in 1994 after watching my mother stoically suffering the appalling pain and ignominy of this devastating disease, which in the end resulted in her early death at the age of 72.
"Back in those dark old days, my family was not alone in knowing next to nothing about osteoporosis. It was rarely discussed and seldom diagnosed and usually attributed to women of a certain age.
"I was determined, for my mama’s sake, to find out more and to find a way of helping others avoid the same excruciating pain and disregard that she, and many of her generation had encountered."
However Camilla – who married Prince Charles in 2005 – believes there is still "a long way to go" to find a complete cure.
She explained: "One out of two women over the age of 50 will break a bone as a result of it and I’m sorry to say that men don’t get away with it either. One out of five of them will suffer a fracture too."
Meanwhile, the organisation launched a new campaign #laceupforbones to mark their 30th anniversary and encourage supporters to adorn orange-coloured shoe laces to raise awareness.
And Camilla was gifted a pair of Dubarry boots, customised with orange laces by the charity.
Duchess of Cornwall is ‘determined’ to help cure osteoporosis
