Royal Family Faces Andrew Dilemma Ahead of Lady Pamela Hicks’ Funeral: ‘Likely to Be Smuggled In’
As Lady Pamela Hicks is laid to rest, a clash with Trooping the Colour raises questions about royal attendance and whether a certain family member would make an appearance.
It’s set to be an emotionally complicated day for the royals on June 13. Lady Pamela Hicks’ funeral is scheduled for the same day as Trooping the Colour, meaning most of the royals will be tied up at the King's birthday parade due to official duties. Meanwhile, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is among the few senior members of the extended royal family not expected to be involved in Trooping the Colour, making him one of the relatives potentially available to attend the funeral.
Lady Pamela was one of Queen Elizabeth II's closest lifelong friends and remained a trusted confidante for decades. But despite her deep ties to the royal family, her funeral has landed on a particularly busy day. King Charles and the working royals are expected to be occupied by the Trooping the Colour celebrations in London, while the funeral is set to take place an hour's drive from the palace, in Oxfordshire.
And while it will be hectic, it does not completely rule out Charles’ appearance at the funeral. With Trooping the Colour expected to conclude with the traditional Buckingham Palace flypast at around 1 pm, there is still enough time for the King to make the journey to Oxfordshire for the service, which is set to begin around 3 pm. It would hardly be the first time he has squeezed multiple engagements into a day, as just last weekend, the King attended his nephew Peter Phillips' wedding before heading to Epsom for Derby Day, just a few hours later.
Meanwhile, Mountbatten-Windsor—who is excluded from the Trooping the Colour celebrations—remains the only family member available to travel to Oxfordshire for the funeral. Daily Mail columnist Ephraim Hardcastle reports that, according to sources, the Mountbatten family is currently consulting the Palace regarding a potential invitation and whether the former duke should be included on the guest list.
He said (via Scottish Daily Express), “If he is allowed at what will be a private family occasion, he is likely to be smuggled in via a side door to prevent a repeat of his gurning grandstanding at last year's funeral of the Duchess of Kent.” The situation would have been far less complicated before Andrew stepped back from royal duties. When Lady Pamela's sister Patricia died in 2017, senior royals—including Andrew—attended the funeral without controversy.
Lady Pamela’s deep ties to the royal family have spanned generations. As the daughter of Lord Louis Mountbatten—Prince Philip’s beloved uncle and mentor—she grew up in the inner circle and later served as a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth II. Their profound bond was famously evident in 1952, when Lady Pamela was by Elizabeth’s side in Kenya when the news broke that King George VI had died, making the young princess Queen. This multi-generational closeness extended to the next era as well, with the then-Prince Charles chosen as godfather to Hicks' youngest daughter, India.
