The news that Lady Pamela Hicks (née Mountbatten) has not been invited to King Charles' coronation may have come as a surprise to royal fans since she was not only his father Prince Philip's cousin but also played an integral part in Philip's nuptials with the late Queen Elizabeth.
The 94-year-old, then 18, was one of eight beautiful bridesmaids at the royal wedding, which took place at London's Westminster Abbey in 1947. In a rare interview, Lady Pamela made a surprising confession about her bridesmaid dress, revealing that the romantic design was actually "copied" from Elizabeth's Norman Hartnell bridal gown.
"The bridesmaid dresses were a theme copied from the bride's dress. Her veil was a very very fine net – tulle," Pamela began as she chatted to her daughter on The India Hicks Podcast.
"There was this very fine base of tulle covered with satin stars edged with a lot of pearls. And so our bridesmaid dresses were very tiny waists, tight bodice, sleeveless dress with a shawl."
When asked about the colour, she replied: "White of course. They don't have to be, my sister's were blue," before commenting on the accessories. She teamed her bridesmaid dress with a floral headpiece, a pearl necklace and long white gloves fastened with pearl buttons which allowed the bridesmaids to release their hands for eating.
Meanwhile, then-Princess Elizabeth wore a Duchesse satin wedding dress which was purchased using ration coupons following World War II. It was embroidered with pearls, silver thread and crystal beads, and featured the same star motifs on the skirt.
She accessorised with a pearl necklace, which was a wedding gift from her parents, and Queen Mary's Russian Fringe tiara, which accidentally snapped moments before she was due to walk down the aisle.
Back in 2020, India shared a new photo of Pamela's bridesmaid dress hanging in her home alongside her own puff-sleeved dress designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, which she wore to Princess Diana’s nuptials.
"Lots of questions asking if my mother still has the dress she wore as a bridesmaid to The Queen," she wrote. "She does. See it here on the table in front of us. Next to the one I wore to Charles and Diana’s wedding. Both dresses have travelled the world in exhibitions and been on display in Museums before coming home to chill for a bit."
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