THE Duchess of Cornwall received an honorary degree from the University of Southampton today.

She received her doctorate of science in a ceremony where 13 PHD students also graduated.

The Duchess was given the accolade for her work on osteoporosis, a debilitating condition that led to the death of her mother and grandmother.

She has been president of the National Osteoporosis Society since 2001, having been a patron from 1997 to 2001.

As well as receiving her degree she took a tour of some of the university’s laboratories and met some of its researchers who are working on groundbreaking projects to tackle illnesses such as osteoporosis and cancer.

Speaking after she accepted her award from university Vice-Chancellor Sir Christopher Snowden, she praised the university’s “world-leading” work and in particular its musculoskeletal programme led by Professor Cyrus Cooper.

She described it as “genuinely life-changing for people who suffer from osteoporosis.

“I have seen for myself how the research – on mapping the frequency of fractures, identifying key risk-factors and trials on supplements such as calcium – have affected the day-to-day lives of patients with this devastating disease.”

Ending her speech, she said: “It’s been a great honour to receive this doctorate today from a university which has such a distinguished past; and which, I am sure, will have an equally great future.”