The Queen has praised the battle against the “silent thief hiding in plain sight” as she marked the 40th anniversary of the Royal Osteoporosis Society (ROS).
Camilla gathered ROS staff, celebrity supporters and donors in the gardens of Clarence House to celebrate the milestone and said a cure had not been found yet, “but we are well on the way”.
Among the guests were Felicity Kendall, Susan Hampshire, Miriam Margolyes, Julien Macdonald and Gloria Hunniford – all ROS ambassadors – alongside other famous faces like Jools Holland and Ross Kemp.
Miriam Margolyes joined the reception (Aaron Chown/PA)PA WireIn a speech at the reception the Queen said: “The terrible problem being that osteoporosis is a silent thief hiding in plain sight.
“It wreaks its havoc deep inside our bodies until, too late, we realise that the damage has been done.
“Without being aware of it, our bones have lost their density and strength until suddenly, a simple, everyday act – picking up a grandchild, slipping over or even sneezing – turns into a life-altering event as our bones shatter.”
Camilla lost both her mother Rosalind and her grandmother Sonia to the crippling bone disease and her experience prompted her to become patron of the then-National Osteoporosis Society in 1997, and then its president in 2001.
Angela Rippon was also present at the reception (Aaron Chown/PA)PA WireIn 2002, in her first ever public speech, she recounted the agonising ordeal suffered by her mother, who died in 1994.
The Queen added: “In 2016, many of us gathered in this very spot to mark the 30th anniversary of the Royal Osteoporosis Society. On that occasion, I said this: ‘I can only hope and pray that, with your help, the next 30 years will find a cure for osteoporosis, so that future generations will be spared its ravages.’
“We are not quite there yet, but we are well on the way and, for that, I would like to thank you all here for everything that you have done for this charity.
“Together, we can – and we will – see the end of osteoporosis, forever.”
Another ROS ambassador is the broadcaster Angela Rippon, who said: “We are at risk of osteoporosis as we get older, I’ve danced so I’ve kept my bones nice and strong and fortunately I’m fine but not all women are.”
She enjoys tap and modern dance and is also an ambassador for the Silver Swans – classes for elderly ballet dancers run by the Royal Academy of Dance – which has the Queen as a member.
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Speaking about a previous meeting with Camilla, Rippon added: “Her Majesty’s one of our Silver Swans – I got her – I said to her ‘you’ve got to join us ma’am’ and she did.”