'Worryingly fast-moving': King Charles' goddaughter reveals cancer diagnosis
The goddaughter of King Charles has revealed she has been diagnosed with a "worryingly fast-moving" form of skin cancer.
India Hicks, 58, shared the shock announcement on media platform Substack, informing subscribers doctors had discovered the growth on her lower calf during a related medical procedure.
"The test results from a recent skin-cancer operation came back, and the news was…not great," Hicks wrote in the post, titled 'A Small Patch of Fear, and a Big Reminder.'
India Hicks, the goddaughter of King Charles, has been diagnosed with a fast-growing form of skin cancer. Getty Images for GEM
She described the news as "the kind that makes the world blur slightly at the edges."
"I reacted the way most people do: a strange mixture of calm practicality and a little private terror," the extended royal family member revealed candidly.
"You tell yourself you're fine, you make tea, you answer emails, all while a small internal voice is whispering, 'what if it's worse than we think?'"
Hicks reportedly wasted no time after receiving the results of her test, seeking out a doctor in Miami who could perform an urgent surgery.
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Hicks says she acted fast, finding a doctor in Miami who could perform urgent surgery. Getty
The surgery in question, referred to as Moh's surgery, involves removing individual layers of skin in stages, then analysing each for traces of cancerous cells.
The process is continued until no further traces are found.
According to Hicks, the procedure was only "relatively uncomfortable."
"You sit there with an open incision in your leg while they whisk the tissue to the pathology lab. And then comes the hardest part: waiting," she explained in her Substack post.
"Everything hinges on what's happening in another room."
In the end, Hicks received good news; doctors informed her the procedure had been a success, and she was clear of cancer.
Hicks was first diagnosed in 2020, and has documented her treatment process candidly on social media over the years.
Following her procedure, she was thankfully given the green light to travel and be with her family for the holiday season.
Hicks is the daughter of Lady Pamela Hicks, a descendant of the House of Mountbatten. Getty
She was a bridesmaid at Princess Diana and King Charles' wedding. Getty
Hicks' scare comes just a year after both the King and Princess Kate revealed cancer diagnoses of their own.
The mother-of-five is the daughter of Lady Pamela Hicks, first cousin of the late Prince Philip and descendant of the House of Mountbatten.
She remains the oldest living descendant of Queen Victoria, and served as the bridesmaid of Queen Elizabeth II.
India, on the other hand, served as bridesmaid in the wedding of Princess Diana and King Charles when she was 13.
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