Queen Consort Camilla is known to look after her health, wearing a FitBit and partaking in ballet classes, so it comes as a surprise to learn that she was a smoker in her younger years.
In fact, King Charles III’s wife reportedly smoked 10 cigarettes a day until 2001, when a health scare prompted her to quit smoking for good.
Why did Queen Camilla give up smoking?
At the time, The Daily Mail reported that it was Queen Consort Camilla’s rhinitis (where your nose gets irritated by something you’re allergic to, causing persistent coughing and sneezing) that helped her make the decision to give up cigarettes.
As previously mentioned, prior to when Camilla gave up smoking in 2001, the royal was a regular smoker. Reportedly, she was addicted to the habit for 30 years before she managed to stop smoking near the turn of the millennium.
Some reports have also suggested that in addition to concerns for her own health, Camilla also gave up smoking for her husband, Charles, as he was not a fan of the habit.
King Charles’ official royal website even once addressed the fact that Camilla used to be a smoker in its FAQ section. It read: “The Duchess of Cornwall [now Queen Consort] gave up smoking many years ago.”
How did Queen Camilla give up smoking?
The Queen Consort reportedly also tried to quit smoking by going on a trek to the Himalayas to ‘re-energize’ her spirits. The trip was hosted by Dr. Mosaraf Ali, a health guru favoured by King Charles at the time.
Queen Camilla, who was 53 at the time, was said to be a regular visitor to Dr. Ali’s London practice, where she was encouraged to take up yoga both to combat back pain and to help her give up smoking.
Wellness pilgrimages are not unknown to the now 75-year-old – she recently visited a holistic health centre in India, which she has reportedly visited eight times since her first trip in 2010. According to The Times of India, Camilla and a few friends stayed in Soukya, a holistic health and wellness centre near Whitefield, in Bengaluru, in October 2022.
According to their website, Soukya “offers a wide range of health programmes that help cleanse, de-stress, soothe and revitalize the mind, body and spirit.”
“We provide authentic Ayurvedic, Panchakarma, Yoga and Naturopathic treatments and Complementary Therapies that are prescribed, monitored and reviewed by our doctors and delivered with the help of skilled therapists,” the site continues.
Here’s hoping their treatment will continue to help Queen Camilla as she enters a new period of her already busy royal life following her and Charles III’s coronation.
