The Queen described how everyday activities can suddenly become catastrophic when weakened bones give way

Queen Camilla welcomed guests to Clarence House today for a reception celebrating four decades of the Royal Osteoporosis Society's work.

The occasion held particular personal significance for the Queen, who became patron of the organisation, then known as the National Osteoporosis Society, in 1994, the same year her mother passed away from the condition.

"As some of you may know, the then-N.O.S. was the first charity that I became Patron of back in 1994," she told attendees. "That same year, my dear mother had died as a result of osteoporosis."

Her 32-year association with the charity began following this devastating family loss.

In her address, the Queen characterised osteoporosis as "a silent thief hiding in plain sight" that causes damage deep within the body before symptoms become apparent.

She spoke candidly about how little awareness existed three decades ago, noting the condition was "seldom discussed, rarely diagnosed and usually attributed to old women with so-called 'Dowagers' humps'."

Her family found themselves bewildered by her mother's deteriorating health. "We failed to comprehend how our mother could suffer so much pain, lose inches in height and yet find no available treatment from the doctors," she explained.

The Queen described how everyday activities can suddenly become catastrophic when weakened bones give way.

Despite these grim realities, the Queen offered a message of hope, citing current research and medical advances.

"Even today, half of all women and 1 out of every 5 men over the age of 50 will suffer fractures as a result of osteoporosis," she stated.

However, she emphasised that the condition need not be inevitable. Modern medicine has transformed outcomes for those at risk, with scientists developing effective treatments.

Prevention is equally achievable, the Queen noted, through practical measures involving dietary choices and physical activity.

"It is now treatable, thanks to the medicines that have been developed by our brilliant scientists," she said. "Even more importantly, it is also preventable."

The Queen praised the charity's remarkable growth since its modest beginnings as a small organisation with just one or two staff members led by Linda Edwards.

Over the past 34 years, specialist nurses have offered crucial guidance and assistance through a free telephone helpline.

The society's Fracture Liaison Services programme has been adopted internationally, now operating in more than 60 nations worldwide.

Within the United Kingdom, the organisation's online risk assessment tool has been accessed by over 500,000 people during the last four years alone.

"Four decades ago, all this would have been beyond my family's, and countless others', wildest dreams," the Queen reflected.