Duchess of Cornwall on mother’s osteoporosis: ‘If you don’t take care, that’s what will happen to you’

The Duchess of Cornwall spoke about her mother's osteoporosis when she was interviewed by Gloria Hunniford on BBC One - BBC
The Duchess of Cornwall spoke about her mother's osteoporosis when she was interviewed by Gloria Hunniford on BBC One - BBC

The Duchess of Cornwall has disclosed that she makes her grandchildren look at photos of her mother to warn them to look after themselves and avoid osteoporosis.

The Duchess, 74, said she wants young people to be aware that life choices are crucial when it comes to evading the debilitating condition, which can lead to broken bones and excruciating pain.

Osteoporosis weakens bones, making them fragile and more likely to break. Sometimes a cough or sneeze can be enough to cause a broken rib or the partial collapse of one of the bones of the spine.

She said the heartache of watching the health of her mother, Rosalind Shand, and maternal grandmother, Sonia Keppel, deteriorate due to osteoporosis means she shows her grandchildren pictures of her mother before and after the illness took hold.

Her mother died aged 72 in 1994, and her grandmother aged 86 in 1986.

'We watched her shrinking before our eyes'

In an interview with Gloria Hunniford on BBC One's Morning Live, Ms Hunniford asked: “I think one of the most interesting points is getting this knowledge out to young people. You have young people in your family, do you worry about them? Do you get that message across, or are they prepared to listen?”

The Duchess responded: “I think my daughter’s generation does listen, it’s just getting through to grandchildren. But you know they’re starting to be teenagers.

"I would show them pictures of my mother, before and after she got osteoporosis. I would make them look at these photographs and say: 'Look, if you don’t take care, that’s what will happen to you.'"

Plea to take osteoporosis more seriously

Osteoporosis, which develops slowly over several years, affects more than three million people in the UK.

Family history and certain medications can increase the risk of being affected but controllable factors, such as lack of exercise and heavy drinking and smoking, can also contribute, according to the NHS.

It can be treated with bone-strengthening medicines.

The Duchess of Cornwall has long campaigned to raise awareness of osteoporosis - John Philips/PA Wire
The Duchess of Cornwall has long campaigned to raise awareness of osteoporosis - John Philips/PA Wire

The Duchess, who has been president of the Royal Osteoporosis Society for 20 years, said a lack of appreciation for elderly people's quality of life means their very serious health complaints are not taken as seriously as they should be.

"My mother went to see everybody you could possibly think of and they all said the same thing: 'Sorry, you're old.' We just watched her shrinking before our eyes," she said.

"It was terrible because we didn't know anything about it, so at some point we thought well 'is she making a great fuss about all this?'

“Occasionally, when she moved or you touched her, she literally screamed. I remember when a friend of hers came in one day just to give her a hug, and her rib broke - it was as bad as that."

The Duchess emphasised that looking after your body from a young age lays the groundwork to avoid osteoporosis in the future. People aged in their 20s and 30s should not fall into the trap of believing they will always be immune to ill health, she said.

"The thing about osteoporosis is you can prevent it, but you can't cure it," said the Duchess. "You have to prevent it by taking a look at yourself and saying: 'I don't want to have this disease.' You must take a lot of exercise, walking in particular.

"I think we all think we're immortal when we're young. I'd like to see more young people being educated and being more understanding about it. Not just thinking 'poor old bats', but actually understanding what happens and how they can prevent it."

The full interview will be broadcast on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on October 25 at 9.15am.