Lady Pamela Hicks facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lady Pamela Hicks
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Hicks in 1947
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| Born | Pamela Carmen Louise Mountbatten 19 April 1929 Barcelona, Kingdom of Spain |
| Noble family | Mountbatten |
| Spouse(s) |
David Nightingale Hicks
(m. 1960; died 1998) |
| Issue | Edwina Brudenell Ashley Hicks India Hicks |
| Father | Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma |
| Mother | Edwina Ashley |
Lady Pamela Carmen Louise Hicks (born 19 April 1929) is a member of the British nobility and is related to the British royal family. She is the younger daughter of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma and Edwina Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten of Burma. Lady Pamela is a first cousin of the late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. She is also a grandniece of the last Empress of Russia, Alexandra Feodorovna. She served as a bridesmaid and later as a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth II, who was her third cousin. Lady Pamela is also a great-great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria through her father. As of 2025, she is Queen Victoria's oldest living descendant.
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Early Life and Family Connections
Lady Pamela was born on 19 April 1929 in Barcelona, Spain. Her parents were Edwina Ashley and Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma. She is the second of two children, and the younger sister of Patricia Knatchbull, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma.
The Mountbatten Family Name
Lady Pamela is part of the Mountbatten family. This family originally came from the Battenberg family in Germany. During World War I, there was strong anti-German feeling in Britain. Because of this, her grandparents, Prince Louis of Battenberg and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, gave up their German royal titles in 1917. They took on British titles instead. Her father, who was also born a Prince of Battenberg, later became Earl Mountbatten of Burma.
Royal Ancestry
Through her father, Lady Pamela is a great-great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. As of 2025, she is their oldest living descendant. Her mother, Edwina, was the daughter of Wilfrid Ashley, 1st Baron Mount Temple. Through her mother, Lady Pamela is also a great-granddaughter of Sir Ernest Cassel. She is a first cousin of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
Childhood and Education
Lady Pamela's baptism took place on July 12, 1929, at the Chapel Royal, St. James's Palace. Among her godparents were King Alfonso XIII of Spain and the Duke of Kent. She attended Hewitt School in New York City.
Time in India
In 1947, Lady Pamela went with her parents to India. Her father was the Viceroy of India before it became independent. He then became the Governor-General after India was divided into India and Pakistan in 1947. Lady Pamela lived with her parents in Government House in New Delhi and the summer lodge in Simla until 1948. After India gained independence, she worked as a secretary for V.K. Krishna Menon. He was a friend of her parents and later became the Indian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.
Royal Duties and Service
In November 1947, Lady Pamela was a bridesmaid at the wedding of then-Princess Elizabeth to Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. As a lady-in-waiting to Princess Elizabeth, she was with the Princess and the Duke of Edinburgh in Kenya when King George VI died on 6 February 1952. This meant Princess Elizabeth became Queen.
From late 1953 to early 1954, Lady Pamela traveled with the Queen as her lady-in-waiting. They went on a royal tour to many places, including Jamaica, Panama, Fiji, Tonga, New Zealand, Australia, and Gibraltar. Lady Pamela Mountbatten also served as the Corps Commandant of the Girls' Nautical Training Corps from about 1952 to 1959.
Marriage and Family Life
Lady Pamela married interior designer David Nightingale Hicks on 13 January 1960. Their wedding took place at Romsey Abbey in Hampshire. The bridesmaids included Princess Anne. After their honeymoon, Lady Pamela learned that her mother had passed away in February 1960.
Lady Pamela and David Hicks had three children:
- Edwina Victoria Louise Hicks (born 24 December 1961), who married actor Jeremy Brudenell.
- Ashley Louis David Hicks (born 18 July 1963).
- India Amanda Caroline Hicks (born 5 September 1967).
David Nightingale Hicks passed away on 29 March 1998, at the age of 69.
Later Life and Memoirs
Lady Pamela Hicks has been a Director of H Securities Unlimited, a company that manages money, since 1991. In 2002, she sold her mother's tiara at Sotheby's.
In 2007, Lady Pamela wrote a book about her time in New Delhi and Simla. This was when India was divided into India and Pakistan. In her book, India Remembered: A Personal Account of the Mountbattens During the Transfer of Power, she wrote about her mother, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, and Jawaharlal Nehru, who became the first Prime Minister of India. She explained that their close relationship was platonic.
In 2012, she published a second book of her memories called Daughter of Empire: Life as a Mountbatten. This book tells the story of her childhood, her time in India, and her role as a lady-in-waiting to the Queen.
After her cousin, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, passed away in 2021, Lady Pamela became the last living great-grandchild of Princess Alice of the United Kingdom. Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, she became the oldest living descendant of Queen Victoria. Lady Pamela and her daughter, India Hicks, attended the Queen's state funeral on 19 September 2022.
Awards and Recognition
2 June 1953: She received the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal.
5 December 1978: She became a Serving Sister of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem.
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Portrayals in Film and Television
Lady Pamela Hicks has been shown in several creative works:
- In 2016, she was portrayed in the first season of The Crown.
- She is played by Lily Travers in the 2017 film Viceroy's House.
Images for kids
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Hicks in 1947
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Queen Elizabeth II and her lady-in-waiting Lady Pamela Mountbatten arrive at a Women's Reception at Brisbane City Hall, 1954.
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Lady Pamela with Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in India (June 1948)
See also
In Spanish: Pamela Mountbatten para niños
