'You've put osteoporosis on the map,' the Queen said. 'Can I just plead with you to keep going?' Camilla's tribute to MoS's Ruth Sunderland as she (and her mum) attend royal reception for bone disease campaigners

Since I was diagnosed with osteoporosis past autumn, my beingness has taken astonishing turns. But I didn't expect it to pb to maine – and my Mum – gathering the Queen successful the Morning Room astatine Clarence House.

I was invited due to the fact that of my campaigning successful this paper to rise consciousness of the deadly bony disease, successful peculiar to assistance radical to person an aboriginal diagnosis by making Fracture Liaison Services disposable passim the country.

At the reception, I was presented with a certificate of appreciation successful the beingness of Her Majesty. I felt a surge of pridefulness lasting by her and erstwhile she expressed 'huge thanks' for the enactment this insubstantial has done.

'It truly has enactment osteoporosis connected the map,' she said. 'Can I conscionable plead with you to support going… it makes an tremendous quality to a batch of radical who would different spell undiagnosed.' By that point, I was buzzing.

The run-up to the reception was nerve-racking: with impeccable timing, earlier successful the week I not lone had a stye successful my oculus but besides an exigency dental visit.

Only with concern quantities of make-up did I debar resembling a pistillate peasant successful a Breughel painting. I was shaking with anticipation erstwhile we arrived astatine the reception, an intimate matter with 20 guests. Mum, however, was instantly astatine home.

She was not successful the slightest overawed and mightiness person been successful her backmost kitchen. Within moments, she was chatting to histrion Susan Hampshire, a personage ambassador for the Royal Osteoporosis Society.

It meant a batch that my Mum, Lyn Hunter, who is successful her indomitable 80s, was determination with me. Not slightest due to the fact that I wanted to marque up to her. On the play I had the fracture starring to my diagnosis a twelvemonth ago, she had travelled from Teesside to spot maine successful London.

Instead of a beauteous mother-daughter dinner, she was stuck for 5 hours with maine successful A&E astatine St Thomas' Hospital successful London. As she said, she thought her days of taking her kids to infirmary with a breached bony were implicit years ago.

Sadly, though, osteoporosis is often a parent and girl affair. Mum has not been diagnosed, but having a genitor with the illness is simply a hazard factor.

The Queen, who is president of the Royal Osteoporosis Society, became progressive due to the fact that her parent and grandma suffered terribly from the condition.

'There is inactive specified a stigma' astir osteoporosis, the Queen said successful speech with us.

This is contempt it affecting fractional of each women implicit 50 and 1 successful 5 men.

The Queen spoke movingly to america of her parent Rosalind Shand, who died due to the fact that of osteoporosis aged 72 successful 1994.

'All those years ago, cipher talked astir it,' said the Queen, adding that backmost then, signs of the disease, specified arsenic a 'dowager's hump' oregon nonaccomplishment of height, were dismissed arsenic ageing.

'My parent went to the doc and helium told her, 'You're old, of people you are going to person a hump',' said the Queen.

'We each felt truthful blameworthy due to the fact that we thought she was making a batch of fuss. We couldn't judge anyone was successful truthful overmuch symptom – we didn't cognize wherefore she was screaming similar this. She mislaid six to 7 inches successful height. She couldn't bash anything.'

The Queen asked Mum whether she had osteoporosis too. 'No, not that I cognize of,' Mum replied. 'Have you ever been checked?' 'No…' Mum admitted.

'Well, that's the thing, cipher ever was checked successful your generation,' said the Queen. 'Now younger radical are being diagnosed. I fishy that would person been the lawsuit successful your procreation but cipher knew due to the fact that cipher checked.'

'At least,' the Queen added, turning to me, 'you tin bash thing astir it,' and asked maine whether I was having treatment.

When I said I was connected Evenity, a bone-building drug, she replied: 'They [the treatments] are incredible. I person seen truthful galore radical wholly rejuvenated.' I said I wanted to enactment good truthful I could look aft Mum. 'It's the different mode round,' Mum demurred.

Her Majesty spoke of the value of scans, known arsenic DEXAs, which place osteoporosis.

'It is truthful important for doctors to realise that erstwhile radical spell to their surgeries with a breached bone, they person to get a DEXA scan due to the fact that that is the mode of detecting it,' she said.

My run successful The Mail connected Sunday has been to execute precisely that – punctual diagnosis and attraction aft the archetypal fracture.

If this happens, determination is simply a bully accidental patients volition not interruption much bones and tin unrecorded well.

I privation to spot an extremity to a vicious postcode lottery condemning millions to having their lives ruined by preventable fractures.

Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) are the golden standard. They prime up patients who get astatine infirmary with a breached bony and connection them a DEXA scan which volition find retired whether they person osteoporosis.

But FLS is lone disposable successful astir fractional of NHS trusts successful England. It is offered crossed Scotland and Northern Ireland and afloat sum is promised successful Wales.

At Labour's conference, Health Secretary Wes Streeting promised to honour a pledge to rotation retired the services crossed England by 2030.

But determination are fears the Treasury whitethorn backtrack implicit the £30million cost, though that is simply a fraction of the load connected the NHS from treating osteoporosis victims.

Craig Jones, main enforcement of the Royal Osteoporosis Society, said The Mail connected Sunday's run had 'shattered stereotypes' and highlighted the information 'younger radical astatine work, astatine the tallness of their career, endure this condition'.

Dr Nicky Peel, advisor doc astatine Sheffield University, was presented with The Queen's Award for 30 years of outstanding enactment connected osteoporosis.

As the lawsuit closed, I was adjacent to tears but Mum took it successful her stride. 'The Queen is lovely... and precise bully shortbreads,' she opined.