Inside Duchess Camilla's wellness routine to ensure she looks and feels her best

72-year-old Camilla is in a great shape. What's her secret?

Duchess of Cornwall
(Image credit: Getty Images)

There's no denying that the Duchess of Cornwall has never looked better at the age of 72.

With 2020 marking her 15th year as a working royal, Camilla has mastered her royal style. When she heads out on a royal engagement, she always looks comfortable, glowing and confident.

Of course, life as a royal has its benefits - with hairdressers, make-up artists, and stylists aplenty, to help the family look and feel their best. But the royals are well known for looking after their health and wellbeing - though Prince Charles himself recent joked that staying in shape is a 'never-ending battle'!

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And it's a trait Camilla herself has picked up from her husband's side of the family. So just how does Duchess Camilla look after herself, in order to stay looking and feeling great?

Duchess Camilla's exercise routine - what are Camilla's tips for keeping fit?

Stay supple with yoga and pilates

On a 2017 visit to Singapore, Camilla visited a community centre, where she shared that - like her daughter-in-law, Meghan Markle - she’s a big fan of yoga.

She told the women she met that she does a ‘bit’ of yoga and Pilates, as well as deep breathing to help her relax and unwind. The Duchess said, "Its very good for you. It makes you much more supple. I think it’s very important as you get older to take exercise and stretch.”

Duchess Camilla

Royal expert Ingrid Seward has claimed previously that Camilla suffers bad back problems, which may be the reason why she’s taken up yoga and pilates. Done in the right way, both exercises can help to strengthen your core and muscles, to reduce back pain.

Embrace nature

It's also been reported that Prince Charles' wife has a love for the great outdoors too, and often spends time walking in the hills, or taking her dogs out. It's handy then that she and Charles share a countryside retreat in Birkhall then - their home on the Balmoral estate in Aberdeenshire, which is set against a backdrop of rolling hills. It's been proven time and time again that not only is exercising outdoors good for improving fitness, immersing oneself in nature is great for our overall wellbeing, aiding better sleep and boosting endorphins. Seems like Camilla may be on to something!

Duchess Camilla's diet - what does she eat to stay in shape?

Camilla's earlier years

Although Camilla arguably eats a healthy diet now, it seems it's not always been that way! Back in 2009, her son Tom Parker-Bowles was asked what sort of meals he, his sister, and his mother ate as he was growing up. And it looks as though the Duchess actually favoured convenience food over fresh produce at one time.

Duchess Camilla

When asked if he and his sister Laura were given beans on toast as children, Tom - a food writer - responded, "Hell yes. And Wimpy burgers. All of that was much more glamorous than, say, roast chicken. There was a point at the beginning of the 1980s when all this convenience food suddenly appeared, and it was very exciting." Of course, it's likely things are a little different for Charles and Camilla these days.

Eat organic

It's been revealed that the royal couple now enjoy fresh food taken from the grounds around Highgrove, the home they share in Gloucestershire. Charles also founded Duchy Originals, the organic food line now owned by Waitrose & Partners, so eating organic is clearly an important part of the heir apparent's diet.

On her same visit to Singapore, Camilla also revealed that she tries to get as many good fats - such as avocados, fish and almonds - in her diet as possible. After being offered an avocado, she professed how "essential" it was to be “eating in the most healthy way”.

Duchess Camilla's skincare - what does the royal do to keep her skin looking so good?

A secret ingredient

Although Duchess Camilla was known to smoke back in the day, she's since given up the habit and has focused on a great, effective skincare routine to help her complexion looks its best. One of her preferred treatments includes a favourite skincare ingredient of hers - bee venom.

She revealed in 2010 that she'd visited facialist to the stars Deborah Mitchell, for a bee venom facial - while the expert herself revealed that Camilla also likes to use one of her organic moisturisers, containing the ingredient.

Duchess Camilla

In an interview with the Daily Mail, Deborah shared the benefits of bee venom, saying it "works to control the facial muscles for tightening, firming and lifting as well as hydrating the skin.

"Bee venom is also good for providing an instant anti-ageing ageing effect, leaving her skin naturally younger looking. The Duchess of Cornwall only uses quality organic products on her skin."

How do the rest of the royals - including Meghan, Catherine, Charles and William - stay healthy?

It's said that the men in the family often refer to a military training exercise when they want to get in some activity.

Reportedly, Charles, William, and even Prince Philip, regularly use the FBX plan - which stands for five basic exercises. The intense workout is rumoured to take just 11 minutes, and includes stretches, sit-ups, back extensions, push-ups, and running in place, in rotation.

Meghan Markle, on the other hand, favours the likes of running and yoga, calling the former 'a form of moving meditation', and a way to calm her mind as well as exercise her body. She confessed in an interview with Shape, "For me, running is like, I need it as much for my head and to clear my head as for keeping in shape."

The Duchess of Sussex is also an advocate of a healthy diet too, full of fresh, flavoursome dishes. Explaining that she grew up with the 'farm-to-table' product of California, she's professed her love for green juices, fish tacos, avocado toast, acai bowls, and tasty pasta dishes in the past.

Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, appears to be equally as healthy as her sister-in-law, too. It's long been reported that she follows the Atkins diet, limiting carbohydrates, and enjoys running, swimming, tennis and planking as ways of working out.

Amy Hunt

Amy Hunt is an experienced digital journalist specialising in homes, interiors and hobbies. She began her career working as the features assistant at woman&home magazine, before moving over to the digital side of the brand where she eventually became the Lifestyle Editor up until January 2022. Amy won the Digital Journalist of the Year award at the AOP Awards in 2019 for her work on womanandhome.com.