Just days before she jets off for a diplomatically important tour of Pakistan with Prince Charles, Camilla has been back in the spotlight, undertaking yet more engagements on behalf of The National Osteoporosis Society.

Camilla joined up with the Queen's hardworking cousin, the Duke of Kent, for an appearance at the Royal Albert Hall in Kensington, London for a ceremony marking the 150th anniversary of an organisation which, at times, has been surrounded by more mystery and controversy than the institution into which she married: The Freemasons.

Generations of royals have been members of this most secretive lodge. Past Masons include King George IV, King Edward VII, King Edward VIII and his brother, the present Queen's father, King George VI. British Prime Ministers have also figured among the ranks, including the man voted 'The Greatest Briton', Sir Winston Churchill, as well as Clement Attlee.

So secretive is the organisation and the rituals surrounding it that it wasn't until the early 1990s — over three decades since he took on the role — that TV cameras were invited into a meeting of the freemasons over which the Duke of Kent officiated in his role as Grand Master.

An author who specialises in writing on the Masons continues to harbour some misgivings about the role of the organisation in society.

Says Britain's leading expert on the subject, Martin Short: "There was a time when nobody dared confront the masons, but when people like me wrote about them a decade and a half ago we reduced the fear factor. "

"Nevertheless, I think the freemasons are capable of reconstituting themselves. They may look obsolete but circumstances can change and the price of freedom is eternal vigilance. As long as their membership lists remain secret and they are swearing oaths of loyalty to each other, we've got to keep an eye on them."

The activities of the Masons has long been a source of perhaps wild conjecture. A 33-year-old author, Stephen Knight, died in what some believe to have been mysterious circumstances not long after he wrote a book about the Freemasons.

Knight sensationally alleged that Queen Victoria's grandson, Prince 'Eddy', Duke of Clarence, as well as Her Majesty's surgeon, Sir William Gull, and the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, were involved in a masonic conspiracy which led the mysterious 'Jack The Ripper' to stalk the streets of London and murder several prostitutes in the latter part of the 19th Century.

The story goes that the first woman to be killed was carrying Prince Victor Albert's child and so, along with others who knew of the royal baby, had to be murdered to protect the monarchy from scandal.

Today, following decades of negative publicity, the Freemasons are more open to outsiders, albeit they are yet to publicly disclose the names of their members, despite having been urged to do so by a Government committee eager to strip away the secrecy surrounding an organisation seen by many to be one of the most potent symbols of 'The Establishment'.

Despite the Freemasons being yet to allow women to join their ranks, Camilla was on hand to witness the birthday celebrations but the day also heralded more pressing matters as the Duchess stepped forward in her role as President to take receipt of a new scanning machine made possible by a generous £3 million donation from the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons to The National Osteoporosis Society.

According to Angela Jordan, Deputy Chief Executive of The NOS: "This is a really exciting and vital donation which will go a long way to improving the lives of people who urgently need access to osteoporosis services. Our mobile scanning service will enable the NHS to cut waiting lists and travel time so that patients will get their diagnosis faster, enabling them to discuss treatment options with their doctor."

Camilla, who lost her mother to the brittle-bone disease, later took a tour of the unit, the size of which belies the impact it will make on the lives of thousands who, it is hoped, may be saved from the ravages of the crippling disease which continues to bring pain and heartache to so many families.

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Name: K.C.	Comment: Kate: I prefer to attend church regularly and try to live a good Christian life as Jesus taught us. I don't need any secretative society. Why are the Masons so secretative - are they trying to hide something? Incidentally, confession of your sins, even if you are not a Catholic, is a good thing to do.

Name: Kate

Comment: To KC... That's correct! You have it right! The Masons are a christian organization ( Although catholics do not join as events within the organization are secret and they ( the catholics) have to go to confession)...When someone gives a head up to "someones son , etc" and if that "someone" is a mason, then it goes unsaid that this candidate for the job/position is from a a background that any employer would be proud of and can be trusted for various reasons, e.g. honesty etc...There are all kinds of nepotism in this life... Perhaps YOU should look into becoming one yourself!( If you are male and if they will have you!) It is a proud organization.

Name: Kathy Gebhardt	Comment: **I can almost see the postings if she actually did "take some of the load off the Queens shoulders" and stood in for her!** No worries, I'd be too busy giggling to post anything even at the thought of it!

Name: shelley	Comment: Sophie Wessex is worth ten Camillas any day of the week. The people are fond of her, and respect the way she has conducted herself. Camilla would be a poor replacement for Sophie, never mind Her Majesty. Shelley

Name: Star	Comment: MM, your blame is misplaced. The newspaper editors dictate who gets coverage and the level of coverage in their papers, not C&C (or any other member of the royal family).

Name: Mel

Comment: So there is nearly no coverage of all the good activities of the Earl and the Countess of Wessex and lots of coverage of the few activities of the Duchess of Cornwall - and that is all steered and manipulated by the POW PR office. Oh please, that is ridiculous. First of all, there is still something like a free press in the UK. Second, there is a limit to what you can do with PR, believe me, I have bee working as a journalist for years and have been in public relations now for years as well. The only reason the Duchess of Cornwall gets more coverage than the Wessexes is quite simple – she is more interesting from a journalistic point of view that means news stories about the Duchess are likely to draw more readers to a newspaper. It sells papers. That is the same reason why there is so much news stories about the late Princess Diana, about William and Kate and Harry and Chelsy. A lot of those stories don’t cover any real new information, but people like to read about this persons and so the journalist write stories. That is how it works.

Name: K.C.

Comment: So the Masons are a Christian organization! One does not have to belong to a secret organization to be a Christian and help others. Most people join because it puts them in touch with the "right" people and can advance their careers. I worked for someone (who was a Mason) years ago who was interviewing people for a particular position. A masonic member called to say that one particular candidate was the son of a member of his lodge - guess who got employed?

Name: M-M

Comment: Henri , there was an admitted (by Mark Bolland ) 'promote Camilla ' campaign run by Prince Charles' Court (at SJP and later Clarence House ) which involved many things , like planting bad PR for the deceased Diana in the papers , putting good PR about Camilla in the same papers and magazines , not permitting 'junior Royals' (Edward and Sophie ) to overshadow her , and so on . It still goes on . The Wessexes get almost no publicity except for articles in very local papers with no pictures , are not photographed at receptions etc . Sophie is patron of many worthy causes but photographic coverage of this activity is minimal . Just compare the present long African Tour of the Wessexes (have you seen even one photo ? ) with the predicted up coming saturation coverage of the Cornwall's Pakistan Tour I do think Sophie could lighten the load for the Queen , she is very capable . I do not think the Queen could lean on Camilla . Just my opinion .

Name: Muriel	Comment: I can almost see the postings if she actually did "take some of the load off the Queens shoulders" and stood in for her!

Name: Henri M.

Comment: Our fellow poster M-M wrote: "Sophie could easily do this , but C & C would never permit her to take any of their limelight or appear to advantage . She has been relegated to a background role." Wow. That is new for me. I never knew that the Prince of Wales and/or the Duchess of Cornwall were in charge of dividing the engagements and the workloads for 'the Firm' or even 'permitting' others do accept invitations. I assume that Her Majesty's cancellation to attend the opening of the Emirates Stadium must have been a strict order by nurse Camilla?

Name: shelley	Comment: Most of the males in my family have been Masons, but I have to question when it comes to "old boys" clubs. The highter up you are the more you can wield power, 33 1/3 degree Masons are not your average lower order Mason. Google : New World Order and The Illuminati. Not saying I believe all of it or not. Shelley

Name: Donovan	Comment: I love the work the Shriners do with crippled children. They do wonderful things with MD and MS as well, all care is free of charge.

Name: M-M

Comment: Well Camilla's appearance with the Duke of Kent for the Masons will up the tally of her own engagements , but it's hard to see what other function it served . She appears to not be capable of carrying out the normal workload expected of a senior Royal , and can apparently take nothing off the poor Queen's shoulders to help her as she ages. Sophie could easily do this , but C & C would never permit her to take any of their limelight or appear to advantage . She has been relegated to a background role

Name: Muriel

Comment: There is nothing underhanded about the Masons. My husband is a Mason, and they do nothing but good work in the community! They support Shrine Hospitals for crippled children, where the services are provided free of charge. They also do speech and physical therapy and many other worthy projects, such as scholarships. They are a Christian group and do their work without looking for praise and recognition, which is probably why a lot of people don't realize the good they do.

Name: Kate

Comment: Why is it perceived that the Freemasons are an organization to be wary of? My father belonged and as a child, was told this was an organization that did charity works throughout the world, anonymously. Also a FM can go anywhere in the world and be welcomed at any associated branch. There is nothing devious about them! The female counter part (although the FM do not recognize them as such) is the Eastern Star (of which I am a member). We base our philosophy and charity works in the same manner as the FM. Regarding Camilla's part in the NOS, I believe she would never have been involved in this organization had it not been for the campaign to "promote Camilla" and the suggestion from Bolland or Fawcett that she take part. Now that she is involved, I hope she has a sense of doing something worthwhile and has given her life more of a constructive reason. It sure beats riding with a pack of horses, chasing and killing a little fox, or plotting plans and manipulating another woman's husband! for the article...Very informative piece Joanne!!