Lady Pamela Hicks Reacts to Not Being Invited to King Charles' Coronation: 'Very Sensible'

Lady Pamela Hicks, who served as a bridesmaid and lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth, recently attended the state funeral of the late monarch in September

By
Janine Henni
Janine Henni
Janine Henni

Janine Henni is a Royals Staff Writer for PEOPLE Digital, covering modern monarchies and the world's most famous families. Like Queen Elizabeth, she loves horses and a great tiara moment.

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Published on April 19, 2023 04:01PM EDT
Lady Pamela Hicks, a bridesmaid at the Queen's wedding, and her daughters Mrs. Edwina Brudenell (L) and Ms. India Hicks attend a service of thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey to celebrate the Queen and Prince Philip's Diamond Wedding Anniversary, November 19, 2007 in London, England.
Photo: Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty

Lady Pamela Hicks will not be among the 2,000 guests in Westminster Abbey for King Charles' coronation.

Queen Elizabeth's bridesmaid and lady-in-waiting turned 94 on Wednesday, and her daughter India Hicks shared her take on the scaled-down guest list for the May 6 crowning ceremony in an Instagram birthday tribute.

India, 55, said they received a message from one of King Charles' private secretaries, explaining 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."

"The King was sending his great love and apologies, he was offending many family and friends with the reduced list," wrote India, who is a goddaughter of King Charles and served as a bridesmaid at his wedding to Princess Diana in 1981.

"My mother was not offended at all. 'How very, very sensible' she said. Invitations based on meritocracy not aristocracy. 'I am going to follow with great interest the events of this new reign,' " India continued in the caption.

"Today my mother turns 94 years old, she must be one of the few remaining people with such a memory intact, about to live through a third coronation," the designer, writer and entrepreneur wrote. "Happy Birthday to my darling Mum."

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Lady Pamela is the daughter of Lord Louis Mountbatten, who was an uncle — and father figure — to Prince Philip. Mountbatten was assassinated by the IRA in 1979, and King Charles mourned him as "the grandfather I never had" when visiting Ireland 25 years later.

Lady Pamela served as a bridesmaid when her first cousin Prince Philip married then-Princess Elizabeth in 1947. She was even abroad in Kenya with the couple in 1952 when King George VI died — making 25-year-old Elizabeth the new Queen.

"I remember going and hugging her. And then thinking, 'Oh my goodness, she's Queen' — and going into a deep curtsy," Pamela previously told PEOPLE Royals.

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Queen Elizabeth and Lady Pamela.
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Lady Pamela and India attended the state funeral and committal service for Queen Elizabeth in September, a somber invitation the designer described as "a privilege."

"What a privilege. To have seen the sun set over Westminster Abbey last night and to return today, beside my mother, for the State Funeral, followed by the Committal Service in St. George's Chapel, Windsor. 'Service in life, hope in death' said the Archbishop of Canterbury. God Bless The Queen. Long Live The King," India wrote of an Instagram photo of her and her mother wearing black that day.

Lady Pamela Hicks and India Hicks attend the funeral of Patricia Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burma at St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge on June 27, 2017 in London, England. Patricia, Countess Mountbatten of Burma daughter of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma and third cousin of Queen Elizabeth II died aged 93 on June 13 2017.
Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty

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King Charles' crowning ceremony will be much more modest than his mother's coronation 70 years ago. In addition to a smaller guest list, the King and Queen Consort's church service has also been streamlined to 60 minutes — a third of Queen Elizabeth's nearly three-hour coronation in 1953.

Making up the congregation will be members of the royal family, community and charity representatives and royals from around the world, including foreign monarchs, in a break from previous tradition.