We spoke with India Hicks on the launch of her latest book, Lady Pamela. Lady Pamela is Hick’s mother and the subject of the stunning Rizzoli biography. Here, India, the model and designer, shares how her mother is also the person who inspired her passion for adventure.
If you loved The Crown for the intriguing insights it presented of life inside “The Firm,” the just-released visual biography of Lady Pamela Hicks – youngest daughter of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, first cousin of Prince Philip, bridesmaid and lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth II – is an essential royal read.
Lady Pamela, who turned 95 this past April, has led a remarkable life, one defined by service and duty. “A large part of my mother’s life was spent living in the shadows,” says her daughter India Hicks, who is the author of Lady Pamela: My Mother’s Extraordinary Years as Daughter to the Viceroy of India, Lady-in-Waiting to the Queen, and Wife of David Hicks. “She was in the shadow of my grandparents. In the shadow of the Queen. The shadow of her husband David. It’s a place she likes to be, which made her such a wonderful lady-in-waiting. But I felt it was finally time to share the extraordinary story of her life.”
India Hicks and her mother shot in the garden of Lady Pamela’s Oxfordshire home. Courtesy of India Hicks.
I recently spoke with India – who is the goddaughter of King Charles and famously served as royal bridesmaid herself to Princess Diana in 1981 – via Zoom from her home in Harbour Island, Bahamas, where she was enjoying a short respite from the Lady Pamela promotional tour.
We talked about bringing this passion project to life, as well as how her family’s great love of travel was something she most definitely inherited and has become a passion of the next generation (she and husband David Flint Wood have five children ranging in age from 27 to 17). India’s global travels will bring her to Canada on October 28th for an intimate chat about Lady Pamela at The Hazelton Hotel Toronto followed by a book signing event at Teatro Verde.
In the Introduction to Lady Pamela, you share that your mother calls this book a ‘persuasive assault,’ and wonders who would be interested in reading her life story. How did you convince her to let you create this book?
“It began with me digging in through the archives deep in her muniment room and finding so much incredible ephemera. All the handwritten notes, the invitations, and the vintage photographs she kept for all these years. A visual story of her life started to unfold in front of my eyes. I spoke with Rizzoli, who I have published books with before and they were really into creating a reading book that also had a beautiful visual component to it. My mother of course said, ‘Can’t you do this when I’m dead?’ because in her mind it was all about attention and she has never wanted it on her. I said we are going to do this book while you are alive because if we don’t it would be like a marvellous funeral where all your friends come, there’s fantastic flowers, incredible readings, wonderful music…and you’ve missed it.”
Lady Pamela Book Cover
And Lady Pamela’s reaction to the finished product?
“I think she is quietly pleased. We launched the book in London in September at The Lanesborough hotel, and she was not sure she could attend, but she did. We had an audience of 120 people, some of whom came from around the world to be there. From Canada, America and two women who came all the way from Australia. They had seen my mother when they were young, and she was on a royal tour with the Queen and travelled past them waving from a carriage. It was a remarkable evening for us. I would start telling stories and my mother would finish them. She was ready to share.”
During her lifetime, Lady Pamela has lived in England, America and India, and experienced most of the world. What is her happiest place?
“Today, she would say it’s home in Oxfordshire where she enjoys her pink sofa and the extraordinary garden my father created. For 50 years she travelled so much – that was the reality of her life during her time with the Queen. When she married my father in 1960, I think she was delighted to have him be the whirling dervish and spend more time at home with her children. As the youngest, I personally spent a lot of time at home with her and that is why we have such a close mother-daughter relationship. We share a wicked sense of humour, a passion for dashhounds and chocolates and a love of adventure and travel.”
Just a few of Lady Pamela’s collection of historical memorabilia, which were photographed for the book laid on some of her favourite scarves, of which she has a vast collection of. Courtesy of India Hicks
My mother was of a generation that wore scarves all the time – for riding, walking and even worn to bed to protect her hair,” India says. “These pieces in themselves tell a beautiful story.
Regarding travel, why do you believe it’s life’s greatest teacher?
“Travel is the way to educate yourself and open your eyes. To learn about being patient with the way other people live, and to understand more about the world, beliefs and religions. My grandmother slept with an atlas under her pillow. She loved to travel so much. My children were born in America, raised on an island and went to school abroad, so they are global by virtue of how they have grown up. They are not afraid to travel and explore and it’s something I love being able to do with them.”
Where have you just come back from?
“England, before that Paris. Next stop, Alabama.”
What I have learned about travelling is…?
“It’s exciting, and you need some patience.”
India with her family including her grandfather Lord Mountbatten. Courtesy of India Hicks
Where in the world have you felt happiest?
“I am always happiest wherever my children are.”
Name a place that most lived up to the hype.
“Costa Rica. We go to Santa Teresa and it’s still quite wild. Amazing surf, the people are kind, there is lots of wildlife, dust and wildness, but you can still get an oatmilk cappuccino. Also, Paris never fails.”
What is the smartest hotel you’ve ever stayed in?
“La Réserve Paris.”
The restaurant or dish that’s most delighted me is….?
“We tasted crocodile in Cuba, it was not terribly delightful. I love to stay at Casa Tua in Miami, and they have an outstanding artichoke salad.”
One thing you’ve taken from a hotel?
“I can tell you my mother loves to take those little bars of wrapped soap!”
What’s the one thing you pack for every trip?
“A pair of running shoes. I love to run and I try to get an hour every morning to run. It’s also a great way to see where you are, better than being in a car.”
What’s the one beauty essential that makes travel more comfortable?
“Augustinus Bader Beauty The Rich Cream, which comes in a great travel size. “This is what keeps my dry skin regulated when I am in and out of places and temperatures.”
What’s your guilty pleasure while travelling?
“Coca Cola.”
What’s your travel pet peeve?
“Security people with bad manners. Do we have to begin our day like that?”
Your road most travelled?
“England and the Bahamas. I also go every few months to Ukraine, which is part of my work with the Global Empowerment Mission.”
Who is your favourite travelling companion?
“My children.”
Lady Pamela with Princess Elizabeth on the Commonwealth Tour in 1952. Lady Pamela was with the future queen in Africa when she received the news of her father’s sudden passing and learned of her ascension to the throne. Courtesy of India Hicks
Who is the most interesting person you’ve met on your travels?
“The author Zoë Heller, who I just had lunch with in New York. She is someone I always look forward to being with. Her mind is so brilliant and she makes me think differently.”
The one place in the world you would go back and why?
“We did an incredible trip for my 50th birthday to South Africa with the children. It was a real adventure, which we would love to do again.”
If you could live in any other place in the world, where would it be, and why?
“It would never be a city. It would have to be somewhere wild and free, with land, privacy and sea. I actually quite like where I live. In 30 years of being here, we have seen unprecedented change. A lot of Americans have recently come here and I just hope they recognize what we have here. This island needs to remain Bahamian.”
