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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Lifestyle
Luke O'Reilly

King Charles ‘apologised’ for not inviting Queen’s bridesmaid Lady Pamela Hicks to coronation

PA Archive

The Queen’s former bridesmaid Lady Pamela Hicks has not been invited to the King’s coronation, her daughter India Hicks has said.

In a post on Instagram, the designer and former fashion model revealed that Buckingham Palace had told her mother that she would not be invited to the coronation due to their decision to slim down the guest list.

She said that the Palace rang her mother to give her the news.

“One of the King’s personal secretaries was passing on a message from the King,” she wrote.

My mother was not offended at all. 'How very, very sensible' she said
— India Hicks, Lady Pamela Hicks' daughter

“They explained that this coronation was to be very different to the Queen’s. 8,000 guests would be whittled down to 1,000 alleviating the burden on the state.”

However, she said that her mother, who turned 94 on Wednesday, was unbothered by the news.

The King was sending his great love and apologies, he was offending many family and friends with the reduced list,” Ms Hicks said.

“My mother was not offended at all. ‘How very, very sensible’ she said. Invitations based on meritocracy not aristocracy.”

She said her mother added: “I am going to follow with great interest the events of this new reign.”

In the same Instagram post, Ms Hicks wished her mother a happy 94th birthday.

Lady Pamela, who was also the Queen’s lady-in-waiting, is the daughter of the King’s great-uncle Earl Mountbatten.

Earl Mountbatten was murdered by the IRA in 1979.

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