Lady Pamela Hicks: the extraordinary life of Prince Philip’s cousin and the Queen’s bridesmaid as she turns 95
As the daughter of the last Viceroy of India, a bridesmaid of Queen Elizabeth II and a cousin of the late Duke of Edinburgh, Lady Pamela Hicks, who celebrates her 95th birthday today, has lived her life at the epicentre of royal history.
Born on 19 April 1929, Lady Pamela is the youngest daughter of the 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma and his wife, Edwina Mountbatten. She had one older sister, Patricia Knatchbull, who inherited the title of 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma in 1979, following the assassination of their father.
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She spent her childhood all over – attending Hewitt School in New York City and summering with her grandmother, the Marchioness of Milford Haven. In 1947, she accompanied her parents to India during her father’s term as Viceroy of India, living at Government House in New Delhi and Viceregal Lodge in Simla. As a result of her travels, she came in to contact with the great and the good of high society around the world.
In 1947, she was chosen to be a bridesmaid for the then-Princess Elizabeth, on her wedding to Pamela’s cousin, Prince Philip. As a lady-in-waiting, she accompanied the Queen on her tour of Kenya, and was with her when news of her father King George VI’s death reached her in 1952. Later on, she would travel the world with the Queen, going on tour with her to Jamaica, Panama, Fiji, Tonga, New Zealand, Australia, Ceylon, Aden, Libya, Malta and Gibraltar.
She married interior designer David Hicks in 1960 at Romsey Abbey in Hampshire, with Princess Anne acting as one of her bridesmaids, as well as Princess Clarissa of Hesse and her nieces the Hon. Joanna and Amanda Knatchbull. Together they had three children, Edwina (born in 1961), Ashley (born in 1963) and India (born in 1967). Her youngest daughter went on to follow in her footsteps as a royal bridesmaid, taking part in the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales.
A natural raconteur, Lady Pamela has written two memoirs: the first, India Remembered: A Personal Account of the Mountbattens During the Transfer of Power, was released in 2007, while the second, Daughter of Empire: Life as a Mountbatten, followed in 2012. She wrote in the former about her mother’s close friendship with Jawaharlal Nehru, the future Prime Minister of India. A third memoir, My Years with the Queen: and Other Stories, was released this year.
Here, to celebrate her birthday, Tatler looks back on her remarkable life…
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2022
India Hicks accompanies her mother Lady Pamela Hicks as they arrive at Westminster Abbey ahead of the State funeral of Queen Elizabeth II
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2017
Lady Pamela Hicks and India Hicks attend the funeral of the 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma at St Paul’s Church, Knightsbridge
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With her daughters Edwina and India in 2007
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2000
The 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma (left) and Lady Pamela Hicks with the then Prince of Wales to unveil an English Heritage Blue Plaque commemorating their parents, the Earl and Countess Mountbatten of Burma
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1997
Lady Pamela Hicks and her husband David attend a concert at the Royal Festival Hall celebrating the 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh
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1993
Lady Pamela Hicks and her husband on the balcony of Buckingham Palace for Trooping the Colour
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1980
Lady Pamela Hicks with her family in the Bahamas
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1979
Lady Pamela Hicks and her husband arrive for the wedding of her nephew, the then Lord Romsey, to Penelope Eastwood
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1979
Attending the funeral of the Dowager Lady Brabourne and 14-year-old Nicholas Knatchbull, who were killed in the IRA bombing that also claimed the life of Lord Mountbatten
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1979
Lady Pamela Hicks, her husband David and their daughter India visit Lady Pamela’s sister and nephew in hospital following the IRA explosion
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1960
Lady Brabourne, Earl Mountbatten and Lady Pamela Hicks attend the memorial service for Lady Mountbatten at Westminster Abbey
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1960
The wedding of Lady Pamela Mountbatten and David Hicks at Romsey Abbey, Hampshire
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Lady Pamela, Princess Alexandra of Kent, Princess Margaret and Princess Elizabeth at the wedding of Patricia Knatchbull
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1949
Countess Mountbatten of Burma and her daughter Lady Pamela walking in the grounds of Government House, New Delhi, with Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru (centre)
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On the balcony at Buckingham Palace on the Princess Elizabeth’s wedding to Prince Philip
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1946
The then Pamela Mountbatten and Patricia Mountbatten
