Prince Charles's longtime companion Camilla Parker Bowles gave her first public speech on Saturday, seen as the latest step in efforts by the heir to the British throne to seek public acceptance for the relationship. Parker Bowles, 54, gave a five-minute address at an international conference in Lisbon on osteoporosis, the crippling bone disease that led to the death of both her mother and grandmother.
"We watched in horror as she quite literally shrunk before our eyes," Parker Bowles told a roundtable of high-profile women dignitaries about the death of her mother Rosalind Shand.

Royal watchers said the speech appeared to be a first step towards the creation of a public role for Parker Bowles as the prince's companion, but cautioned it could draw unfavourable comparisons to the late Princess Diana who was known for her energetic campaigning on behalf of numerous charities.
Parker Bowles has been president of the Britain's National Osteoporosis Society since November. Bureau Report