Lady Pamela Hicks, King's cousin, dies after winning hearts with chocolate secrets

The King's goddaughter, India Hicks has touched hearts with a warm and lighthearted tribute to her mother, Lady Pamela Hicks, after confirming the aristocrat’s death at the age of 97.

Sharing memories alongside the announcement, India reflected not only on her mother’s remarkable life but also on her famously spirited approach to living well.

She once jokingly credited to simple pleasures- chocolate biscuits at elevenses and a lifelong fondness for sweets such as Charbonnel et Walker chocolates and Toblerone kept close at hand.

India also recalled her mother’s enduring belief in always maintaining a sense of occasion, noting that even the most ordinary moments were met with her trademark elegance, humour and insistence on being “properly dressed even for the pub.”

Lady Pamela lived a life closely intertwined with the Royal Family. 

The daughter of Lord Mountbatten of Burma, she was the great-great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria and a cousin of Prince Philip, later becoming a second cousin to Queen Elizabeth II.

Her long-standing relationship with the late Queen began in childhood and evolved into one of deep personal trust. 

Pamela served as one of Princess Elizabeth’s bridesmaids at the 1947 royal wedding and later went on to become one of the Queen’s ladies-in-waiting, remaining part of her inner circle for many years.

She was also married for nearly four decades to renowned interior designer David Nightingale Hicks, with whom she shared three children: Edwina Victoria Hicks, Ashley Louis David Hicks, and India Amanda Caroline Hicks.

Their wedding in 1960 was attended by members of the Royal Family, with Princess Anne among the bridesmaids.

News of her passing was shared by India Hicks on social media.

“My mother died peacefully today,” she wrote, describing a life lived fully and without regret.