Queen Camilla Used to Be a Smoker, Here's When The Royal Reportedly Kicked The Bad Habit

Queen consort Camilla earlier known as Camilla Parker Bowles was a chain smoker and would smoke up to ten cigarettes a day. The habit went on for thirty years until one day when the Queen decided to quit it forever. The quitting had some spiritual influences that helped the royalty kick this habit in 2001. 

According to Daily Mail, when Camilla was spotted for the very first time with the then-queen Elizabeth II. The lunch with the Queen established that the royalty had officially acknowledged King Charles III and Camilla's relationship. The meeting was followed by her quitting cigarettes as it aggravated her rhinitis allergy. King Charles however, was always persistent in helping her quit it as he himself led a sober life. A friend close to her shared, "She had a persistent cough which she couldn't shake off. It wasn't connected to her smoking but she decided it was a good opportunity." The friend further added, "She's been trying to give up for as long as I have known her but this time she's given up for good." However, an insider revealed in 2015, "She cut it back to three a day and never touched one before 6 p.m., Gradually, she found the cravings subsided and was able to go without any," according to Daily Mail. 

Brian Hoey, who authored Not in Front of the Corgis has written that Camilla's smoking habit was such that it also altered her routine. "Footmen are instructed to place silver cigarette boxes containing her favorite brand [of cigarette] in every room," Hoey wrote as reported by Express. The author also added, "[They had to] make sure that matchbox holders in solid silver containers are placed upright near at hand with one match half withdrawn so she does not have to scrabble about looking for a light." The King would often urge her to try and leave the habit, however, she couldn't give up on her half a pack a day. Another controversial tale that is tied to her past habit now was her trip to the Himalayas and her association with healer Mosaraf Ali who was infamous for his famous clients.

Back then Queen was 53 years old and continued visiting the healer's office in London to work on her health. According to Hello! the King's official royal website mentions in an FAQ how the Queen quit her habit of smoking. It reads, "The Duchess of Cornwall [now Queen Consort] gave up smoking many years ago." The Queen reportedly took up yoga to ward off intense back pain. The queen consort's mother and grandmother both succumbed to osteoporosis in old age. However, it has not been revealed if she also suffers from it. "My mother, I think, went to see everybody you could possibly think of and they all said the same thing — 'Sorry, you're old.' I'd love to see more young people understanding about it, not just thinking, you know, 'poor old bats,'" she said as she remembered her mom on World Osteoporosis Day in 2021 per Daily Mail.