Lady Pamela Hicks, one of the late Queen Elizabeth II's closest friends and a bridesmaid at her wedding to Prince Philip, has been laid to rest following her death at the age of 97. The funeral service took place this afternoon at St Bartholomew Church in Wallingford, Oxfordshire.
Funeral Service Details
The service began just two hours after the conclusion of the King's official birthday parade, Trooping the Colour, in central London. As a result, no members of the royal family were in attendance. Lady Pamela's close family, including her daughter India, who announced her mother's death last Friday, paid their last respects. Other relatives comforted each other as a wicker coffin was carried into the church.
King Charles paid a personal tribute following Lady Pamela's death. His spokesperson stated: "His Majesty was greatly saddened to learn of the death of Lady Pamela Hicks, a sorrow tempered by the fondest memories and deepest gratitude for her long life and loyal service to Queen Elizabeth. The King and Queen's thoughts are with Lady Pamela's family, as they mourn a woman whose warmth, wit and perspicacity always made such an impression, and who will be so dearly missed by all those who knew and loved her."
Lady Pamela's Life and Legacy
Born in April 1929, Lady Pamela was the youngest daughter of Lord Mountbatten, an uncle of Prince Philip, and Edwina Ashley. Due to her family's close ties to the royal family, she was chosen as one of eight bridesmaids for the then Princess Elizabeth at her wedding to the Duke of Edinburgh in November 1947 at Westminster Abbey.
In 1960, she married David Hicks in a society wedding, where a young Princess Anne served as a bridesmaid. The couple had three children: daughters India and Edwina, and a son, Ashley. Her husband passed away from lung cancer in 1998.
In 1979, her father, Lord Mountbatten, was killed by an IRA bomb while fishing off the coast of County Sligo, Ireland. In November 1983, Lady Pamela accompanied the Queen to the unveiling of a statue of Lord Mountbatten in Westminster, where the monarch delivered a speech.
Lady Pamela remained a lifelong friend of the late Queen and authored several memoirs about her life with the royal family and her early years as Lord Mountbatten's daughter. Upon Queen Elizabeth II's death in 2022, she became the oldest living descendant of Queen Victoria and attended the state funeral alongside her daughter India.
Lady Pamela was portrayed as a minor character in Netflix's The Crown, featuring in the show's depiction of Elizabeth's wedding to Prince Philip. Her daughter India revealed in Town and Country magazine that her mother, who was also Philip's cousin, judged the show to be "rather good."
