King Charles' dilemma after family tragedy

King Charles’ birthday celebrations will be tinged with a hint of sadness as he is pulled in two different directions on the big day. 

The monarch, 75, will likely be rushing off from his official birthday celebrations at Trooping the Colour to attend the funeral of his mother Queen Elizabeth’s close friend and lady-in-waiting, Lady Pamela Hicks. 

The funeral will take place at 3pm on June 13 at Brightwell Baldwin Church in Oxfordshire, according to the Times, 100km away from where Trooping the Colour takes place.

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The King will inspect his personnel troops closely before they carry or “troop” their regiment’s assigned colour amid a birthday parade made up of more than 1400, who make their way from Buckingham Palace along The Mall to Horse Guards Parade and back again in the heart of London.

A balcony appearance by the royal family occurs as they watch a flypast by the Royal Air Force, leaving two hours between the formal celebration and the funeral.

Hicks was the daughter of Lord Louis Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of India, the first Governor‑General of independent India, and Supreme Allied Commander, South East Asia Command.

Hicks is a descendant of Queen Victoria, being her great-great-granddaughter, and so she was related to both Philip, being his first cousin, and Elizabeth, being her third cousin.

The late Queen Elizabeth II was the godmother to Hicks’ daughter Edwina, while King Charles is the godfather to her second daughter, India. 

She announced her mother’s death on June 5, reflecting on her long and storied life.

“My mother died peacefully today,” she shared in an Instagram post. 

“Whilst there is no tragedy in the death of a 97-year-old who has lived a full life I know grief will be unavoidable, lurking around waiting for me, but today I am simply grateful that she was my Mother,” the interior designer and humanitarian began the heartfelt tribute. 

India said that “made incomparable company” and maintained her grace “right up to the end,” with “impeccable style, sharp mind, and effortless charm that made her not only a cherished institution, but truly the last of her kind.”

King Charles also shared a tribute via a Buckingham Palace spokesperson. 

“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 statement said. 

“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.”  

In her youth, “Pammy” as she was known, accompanied her parents to British India throughout her father’s term as the last Viceroy of India. After partition, she served as her father’s co-secretary and later became secretary to her parents’ friend V. K. Krishna Menon, then acting High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom.

Hicks was also known for her humanitarian work, having helped run a medical clinic and dispensary for people living in the villages of India.

In 1947, Hicks received a letter from her cousin Elizabeth, asking her to be her bridesmaid in her wedding to Prince Philip. 

Pamela agreed to leave India for the occasion, later becoming her lady-in-waiting and being one of the few people to accompany the then-Princess Elizabeth on her tour of Kenya, where she learned about the death of her father, King George VI. 

Hicks recalled to El Pais, “because of where we were, we were almost the last people in the world to know.” She hugged her cousin to comfort her, but then immediately thought, “My God, she’s the Queen now!” and gave her a deep curtsy.

In 1960, she married interior decorator and designer David Hicks against her family’s expectations, and had three children with him: daughters Edwina and India, and son Ashley Hicks. 

Later in life, she wrote three memoirs documenting her interesting life:  India Remembered (2007), Daughter of Empire (2012) and My Years with the Queen (2024).