King Charles’ goddaughter India Hicks mourns her adopted son’s biological mother on Christmas day as she shares pictures of all five children at her grave

She’s grown up around royalty, even serving as a bridesmaid to the late Princess Diana.

But India Hicks, who is goddaughter and second cousin of King Charles, is far from the pomp and circumstance of the stereotypical British aristocrat.

The granddaughter of Earl Mountbatten, and former bridesmaid to Princess Diana, has spent most of her adult life in the Bahamas with her husband David Flint Wood and their five children.

Which means her average day is a far cry from society walks in the countryside, with her Instagram page showing pictures of her relaxing on the beach while dedicating most of her life to philanthropy.

Perhaps though, her free spirited nature has been obvious from a young age.

The daughter of Lady Pamela Mountbatten – who was a bridesmaid to the Queen – and interior designer David Hicks, was educated at £40,000-a-year Gordonstoun, near Elgin, Scotland, until she was expelled for inviting boys to her room.

Here, FEMAIL looks at how she’s become the archetype of a modern, progressive, royal. 

Loving mother-of-five 

India married her long-term partner David Flint Wood in 2021. The pair had moved to the Caribbean together in 1996. 

So far is she from the stiff rules of British society, India was with her partner for 26 years before she wed last year at the age of 54, after having five children together.

While in many ways her wedding was a typical society affair, it was certainly scaled down affair at the small Brightwell Baldwin Parish Church in Oxfordshire.

Few aristocrats and royalty was there, just her mother Lady Pamela, was among the 30-or-so guests at the ceremony. Charles was no invited in a bid to keep it small, with only her children’s godparents in attendance.

Despite her family and royal connections, the socialite has worked to earn her keep. 

Originally a model, she became a designer and businesswoman, launching a luxury lifestyle business before closing it down in 2022 to spend more time with her children: –  Wesley, 26, Felix, 24, Amory, 22, Conrad, 18, and Domino, 13.

Wesley was adopted after his waitress mother died of cancer. The rest are her biological children. 

In 2022 the aristocrat paid tribute to her adopted son’s birth mother, who passed away in 2010 away after losing her battle with cancer. 

India first met Lynne while she was a working as a waitress at a local restaurant and the pair became friends.

Lynne, a single mother, raised Wesley and her other children on a low waitressing wage, and lost both her younger and older sister to breast cancer, before she too passed away from the disease. 

India posted a photo of the family visiting Lynne’s grave on Christmas Day with a caption saying it ‘never gets easier’.

India first befriended Lynne during pregnancy, and when the children were born, India offered to help look after both of them.

‘Lynne had other children and many different jobs,’ she previously told MailOnline. ‘I was lucky enough to have the space for an extra child.

‘I had care in the home. It was easy for Wes to be dropped off at our home, which was better than him going to childcare.’

She remembered Wesley as a spirited child, climbing on roofs with her own son, Felix, becoming close friends from a young age.

In 2008, Wesley’s mother moved the family some 50 miles away from Harbour Island over the water to Nassau.

It meant India didn’t see much of him until 2010 when, by chance, she found herself sitting beside him on a tiny inter-island plane. His mother was ill and he was shuttled between family members – two days later, Lynne died.

India took Wesley in and often shares happy family pictures of the whole family enjoying time together.

Early life in royal circles

The newlywed was one of the five bridesmaids at the 1981 wedding of Diana and Charles, who is her godfather and second cousin.

As the daughter of famed interior decorator David Hicks and Lady Pamela Hicks, one of the late Queen’s former ladies-in-waiting and the daughter of the last Viceroy of India, India was exposed to the design world as well as royal circles

She had been on holiday in the Bahamas aged 13 when the prince phoned and personally asked her to take on the role.

‘I had to practise,’ she later recalled. ‘It was during these rehearsals I got to know Diana, whom I first met at a dress fitting. She always seemed more like a head girl than a princess-in-waiting, with never a shy moment in private.’

India has kept her bridesmaid’s wreath from the ceremony at St Paul’s in its original box.

In November she posted a photograph of her dress – still in perfect condition – on social media. 

Remarkably it was on a hanger on her stairs alongside another royal bridesmaid dress, that worn by Lady Pamela, 91. 

Charity work

India has dedicated a lot of her life to charity, recently visiting Ukraine to help refugees and even putting her house on the market for charity.  

She serves her godfather’s charity, the Prince’s Trust, as a patron for Women Supporting Women.

After attending the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II last year, India revealed that she would be undertaking a bicycle ride from Buckingham Palace to Windsor Castle in a bid to raise money for the monarch’s charity.

India wrote on Instagram that she would be joining thousands of others for the ride, during which she would be part of the Women Supporting Women team.

In the post, she said: ‘Tomorrow I am biking from Buckingham Place to Windsor Castle, along with several thousand other people, in the hopes of raising awareness and funds to help transform the lives of youngsters who are facing a frankly s***** future.

‘King Charles (still feels strange saying that) set up the charity in 1976 with a few thousand pounds of his severance pay from the Navy, to tackle high youth unemployment which he feared would leave young people marginalised.

‘The Prince’s Trust has now helped over a million people, believing that every young person should have the chance to succeed, no matter what their background or challenges they are facing.’

India’s work for her godfather’s charity exists alongside her support for Global Empowerment Mission, a nonprofit that provides assistance in the wake of international disasters.

In May last year, she visited Ukraine alongside her son in support of the organisation, transporting clothing and spending time in a therapy shelter helping Ukrainian children.

Bahamas lifestyle 

She has recently put her Bahamas holiday home up for rent over the summer, with a percentage of the proceeds going to the Prince’s Trust. 

The Harbour Island getaway comes with a hefty price tag of £18,000 a week but India told The Times that the island is a coveted destination 

Sharing details of the property on Instagram, she wrote: ‘Our guest house is set in a grove of palm trees, on the crest of the dunes.

‘Designed to look as though it has always been there. Following tropical traditions we built the house on four pylons, to remain as cool as possible throughout the year.

‘The sitting room and two large guest rooms are upstairs, leaving the dining room, kitchen, and remaining bedrooms downstairs.

‘Late morning you might want to wander down the private path to three miles of pink sand beach and lie under our thatched cabanas on the sunbeds, or else there is a hammock slung between two trees, in the garden, somewhere for a siesta after a long lunch.

‘Facing south you have the chance to sit idling with a rum cocktail in hand, on the upper verandah, as the sun sets and watch the light changing over both the bay and the Atlantic.

‘From up here you can hear the breeze in the casuarina trees and the rustling of palms below and spot a stray guest or an escaping child.’

Pictures of the property, designed by India and her husband, David Flint Wood, show comfortable furnishings and white walls and window panes.

Speaking to The Times , India said that the house and furniture was built by local carpenters and focused on making sure the property did not disrupt the ambience of the island.

She added: ‘It’s got a private part of the beach with beach cabanas, so it’s a very beautiful, lovely property and we thought [renting it more widely] would be another way of raising some funding for a cause that I’m very, very involved with.’

While she has rented the property previously on a small scale, the King’s goddaughter felt that she would carry out her new project before the hurricane season takes hold. 

Respectful royal

Despite being detached from the stuffiness that comes with royal life, India has frequently visited the UK and praised the royal family.

On the eve of the coronation she said her godfather was  ‘considerate’ and ‘patient’ –  despite not receiving an invitation.

India posted photos on her Instagram story showing herself outside Buckingham Palace and she also appeared on Australian TV to discuss all things royal ahead of the ceremony in Westminster Abbey during his Coronation.

The designer tagged The Prince’s Trust, the charity her godfather founded, in a video of herself speaking, with the words: ‘Inclusivity, equality, diversity’.

Her visit to the UK came after she posted a photo of herself on Instagram with a caption praising King Charles’s invitations to the coronation which are based on ‘meritocracy’ as she failed to make the list.

Her mother, who was the late Queen’s bridesmaid at her wedding to Prince Philip in 1947, was also snubbed for an invite.

Devoted daughter 

The devoted daughter even launched a podcast recording conversations with her mother, called The India Hicks Podcast.

India’s mother Lady Pamela is the daughter of Earl Mountbatten, the brother of Prince Philip’s mother.

Earl Mountbatten, was affectionately known as ‘Uncle Dickie’ by Prince Philip and the Queen, and was seen as hugely influential in the early life of both royals. 

Lady Pamela has previously shared insight into Prince Philip’s family life. 

Lady Pamela recalled in a podcast interview last year how the Queen was always ‘patient’ and ‘kind’ to her mother-in-law Princess Alice of Battenberg, who could be ‘very sharp and difficult

‘I remember, she was staying at Windsor and we were waiting to go into lunch,’ Lady Pamela recalled. ‘The equerry had come to collect her for lunch with the Queen.

‘He was a new equerry, a young man of about 20, and thought he must entertain Princess Alice and talk to her.

‘He unwisely asked, ‘and what have you been doing this morning, Ma’am,’ to which Princess Alice replied: ‘And what has that got to do with you?”

Lady Pamela also explained that, despite living under the same roof as her son, Princess Alice and Prince Philip led very separate lives.’She was in a dressing gown, by choice, in the attic,’ Lady Pamela said. ‘While Prince Philip was very busy down below.’