Camilla's calling STEPPING UP FOR WOMEN

The duchess is a shining example of carrying on in a crisis as she puts those in need first

- Judy Kean

You wouldn’t blame Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, if she wanted to extend her recent summer holidays and make a gradual return to work. At 74, she should have long since retired, but in fact, the wife of the heir to the throne is just coming into her stride.

After a restful few weeks at Birkhall, the holiday home she and Prince Charles have on the Balmoral estate in Scotland, the duchess has thrown herself back into work, not because she’s obliged to, but because she genuinely enjoys what she does and wants to make a difference.

When she first joined the royal family after her marriage to Charles in 2005, critics labeled her lazy for the slow way she eased into her new role. But since then, she has picked up the pace and lent her support to more and more causes close to her heart.

In the space of a few days, she has toured a new community center in a Scottish village, promoted an initiative aiming to bring people together through poetry, hosted a breakfast at Clarence House to help women starting out in business, and attended a mentoring session for the organisation Women In Journalism.

She has also been announced as the patron of the Mirabel Centre in Lagoa, Nigeria, which supports victims of sexual violence.