India Hicks
Encyclopedia
India Amanda Caroline Hicks (born 5 September 1967 in London, England) is a former fashion model, 521st inline to the line of succession to the British Throne
.
and David Nightingale Hicks
, a celebrated interior design
er of the 1960s and 1970s. Through her maternal grandfather, The Earl Mountbatten of Burma
, she is a second cousin to The Prince of Wales
, and also in line to succeed to the British throne.
Raised in London
and Oxfordshire
, she was educated at Gordonstoun
until she was expelled for entertaining boys in her room, and spent holidays at the family estate in Ireland
and at her fathers self-designed and built Bahamian-holiday home. In 1981, she served as bridesmaid
to Lady Diana Spencer
at her wedding
to the Prince.
without having passed her driving test
, to meet designer Emilio Pucci
. On arrival, he made her model all of his catsuit
s. Hicks later moved to New York
, and developed a career as a model in the 1980s and 1990s, working for Ralph Lauren
and J. Crew, and featuring in Tatler
magazine
.
Hicks presently co-manages a hotel development in the Caribbean
with her partner. The creator of an all-natural body-and-home-fragrance line with Crabtree & Evelyn
, she is also a published author.
In 2007, Hicks hosted the second season of the Bravo interior design competition TV series Top Design
.
In 2011, she commentated on the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton
, for both ITV
and ABC
; and is presently the face of Viyella
.
All of her children are excluded from the line of succession to the British throne
because all four were born out of wedlock. The family lives in the Bahamas in a plantation-style house Hibiscus Hill, which featured in an article in overseas property magazine A Place in the Sun in June 2008.
Line of succession to the British Throne
The line of succession to the British throne is the ordered sequence of those people eligible to succeed to the throne of the United Kingdom and the other 15 Commonwealth realms. By the terms of the Act of Settlement 1701, the succession is limited to the descendants of the Electress Sophia of...
.
Early life
The third child of Lady Pamela MountbattenLady Pamela Hicks
Lady Pamela Carmen Louise Hicks, née Mountbatten is a British aristocrat. She is the younger daughter of the 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma by his wife, the former Edwina Ashley. Through her father, Lady Hicks is a first cousin of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.- Family background :Hicks was...
and David Nightingale Hicks
David Nightingale Hicks
David Nightingale Hicks was a British interior decorator and designer, famous for his employment of bold, shockingly vibrant colours, for mixing antique and modern furnishings and contemporary art for his famous clientele....
, a celebrated interior design
Interior design
Interior design describes a group of various yet related projects that involve turning an interior space into an effective setting for the range of human activities are to take place there. An interior designer is someone who conducts such projects...
er of the 1960s and 1970s. Through her maternal grandfather, The Earl Mountbatten of Burma
Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma
Admiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas George Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, KG, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, DSO, PC, FRS , was a British statesman and naval officer, and an uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
, she is a second cousin to The Prince of Wales
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
, and also in line to succeed to the British throne.
Raised in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, she was educated at Gordonstoun
Gordonstoun
Gordonstoun School is a co-educational independent school for boarding and day pupils in Moray in North East Scotland. Named after the estate originally owned by Sir Robert Gordon in the 1600s, the school now uses this estate as its campus...
until she was expelled for entertaining boys in her room, and spent holidays at the family estate in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and at her fathers self-designed and built Bahamian-holiday home. In 1981, she served as bridesmaid
Bridesmaid
The bridesmaids are members of the bride's wedding party in a wedding. A bridesmaid is typically a young woman, and often a close friend or sister. She attends to the bride on the day of a wedding or marriage ceremony...
to Lady Diana Spencer
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
at her wedding
Wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer
The wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Frances Spencer took place on Wednesday, 29 July 1981 at St Paul's Cathedral, London, United Kingdom. Their marriage was widely billed as a "fairytale wedding" and the "wedding of the century". It was watched by an estimated global TV...
to the Prince.
Career
Aged 17, she drove from England to ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
without having passed her driving test
Driving test
A driving test is a procedure designed to test a person's ability to drive a motor vehicle. It exists in various forms worldwide, and is often a requirement to pass the exam to obtain a driver's license...
, to meet designer Emilio Pucci
Emilio Pucci
Emilio Pucci, Marquis of Barsento , was a Florentine Italian fashion designer and politician. He and his eponymous company are synonymous with geometric prints in a kaleidoscope of colours.-Early life:...
. On arrival, he made her model all of his catsuit
Catsuit
A catsuit is a close-fitting one-piece garment that covers the torso and the legs, and frequently the arms. They are usually made from stretchable material, such as lycra, chiffon, spandex , leather, latex, PVC, or velour, and frequently close using a zipper at the front or back.Catsuits, which...
s. Hicks later moved to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and developed a career as a model in the 1980s and 1990s, working for Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren is an American fashion designer and business executive; best known for his Polo Ralph Lauren clothing brand.-Early life:...
and J. Crew, and featuring in Tatler
Tatler
Tatler has been the name of several British journals and magazines, each of which has viewed itself as the successor of the original literary and society journal founded by Richard Steele in 1709. The current incarnation, founded in 1901, is a glossy magazine published by Condé Nast Publications...
magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
.
Hicks presently co-manages a hotel development in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
with her partner. The creator of an all-natural body-and-home-fragrance line with Crabtree & Evelyn
Crabtree & Evelyn
Crabtree & Evelyn is an American retailer of body and home products with stores globally. According to its website, Crabtree & Evelyn uses over 160 “natural botanical ingredients” in its skin care products. It is wholly owned by KLK, Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad., a Malaysian company that also owns...
, she is also a published author.
In 2007, Hicks hosted the second season of the Bravo interior design competition TV series Top Design
Top Design
Top Design is an American reality television series. Interior designers compete to win cash and receive a spot in New York's Designer showcases....
.
In 2011, she commentated on the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton
Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton
The wedding of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine Middleton took place on 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey in London. Prince William, the eldest son of Charles, Prince of Wales, first met Catherine Middleton in 2001, when both were studying at the University of St Andrews. Their...
, for both ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
and ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
; and is presently the face of Viyella
Viyella
Viyella was a blend of wool and cotton first woven in 1893 in England, and soon to be the "first branded fabric in the world". It was made of 55 percent merino wool and 45 percent cotton in a twill weave, developed by James and Robert Sissons of William Hollins & Company, spinners and hosiers...
.
Personal life
Hicks has four children with her boyfriend, interior designer turned hotelier David Flint Wood:- Felix Austen Flint Wood (b. May 23, 1997 Miami, FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
) - Amory John Flint Wood (b. June 25, 1999 Miami, Florida)
- Conrad Lorenzo Flint Wood (b. April 25, 2003 Miami, Florida)
- Domino Carmen Flint Wood (b.December 17, 2007 Miami, Florida)
All of her children are excluded from the line of succession to the British throne
Line of succession to the British Throne
The line of succession to the British throne is the ordered sequence of those people eligible to succeed to the throne of the United Kingdom and the other 15 Commonwealth realms. By the terms of the Act of Settlement 1701, the succession is limited to the descendants of the Electress Sophia of...
because all four were born out of wedlock. The family lives in the Bahamas in a plantation-style house Hibiscus Hill, which featured in an article in overseas property magazine A Place in the Sun in June 2008.