There will be much fanfare for the Queen’s 96th birthday today, with gun salutes across London and Windsor to mark the milestone.
But Her Majesty isn’t the only nonagenarian royal celebrating a birthday this week.
One of her bridesmaids, Lady Pamela Hicks, the daughter of Lord Mountbatten and cousin of Prince Philip, turned 93 yesterday, celebrating with a visit from some rather unusual animals, including a ferret, Mexican red kneed tarantula and Californian corn snake.
In a video posted to Instagram by her daughter India Hicks, Lady Pamela relaxes as creepy crawlies make themselves comfortable on her.
Lady Pamela Hicks, the daughter of Lord Mountbatten and cousin of Prince Philip, turned 93 yesterday, celebrating with a visit from some rather unusual animals – including a millipede (right), tarantula (left) and snake.
India, who was a bridesmaid at the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, also posted a picture of her enjoying cake.
Lady Pamela Hicks was one of the bridesmaids at the wedding of Prince Philip to Princess Elizabeth in 1947
The animals included chinchilla, which cutely nuzzled in her lap, as well as a meerkat, which jumped on her shoulder and even a giant African millipede.
Alongside a video showing Lady Pamela relaxing on a sofa in a green shirt with the animals running wild, India, who is the goddaughter of Prince Charles wrote on Instagram: ‘My mama turned 93 today. What on earth do you give to someone who has lived 93 very full years?’.
‘Impossible to wrap but I hope much enjoyed was an afternoon spent with some new curious friends.
‘Probably the first and last time we will see a Sugar Glider leaping off Domino’s arm across the pink drawing room.’
India, 54, who shares sons Wesley, 24, Felix, 24, Amory, 22, Conrad, 18, and Domino, 13, with her partner David Flint Wood, revealed the party was thrown by Living Things UK.
The family live in the Bahamas, but believed to visit her mother’s stately home, known as The Grove, near Brightwell Baldwin, in Oxforshire, for the celebration.
The animals included chinchilla, pictured, with India saying ‘what can you get at 93 years old?’
India, 54, revealed the party was thrown by Living Things UK, with animals including a meerkat (left) and Californian corn snake
India, who was a bridesmaid at the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, also posted a picture of her enjoying cake.
Lady Pamela is the daughter of Earl Mountbatten, the brother of Prince Philip’s mother.
Earl Mountbatten, was affectionately known as ‘Uncle Dickie’ by Prince Philip and the Queen, and was seen as hugely influential in the early life of both royals.
Lady Pamela has previously shared insight into Prince Philip’s family life.
India is the daughter of Lady Pamela Mountbatten, who was herself a royal bridesmaid at the Queen’s 1947 wedding, and interior designer David Hicks
India was a bridesmaid at the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. She is pictured second left at the wedding with the Queen and Diana
Lady Pamela recalled in a podcast interview last year how the Queen was always ‘patient’ and ‘kind’ to her mother-in-law Princess Alice of Battenberg, who could be ‘very sharp and difficult
‘I remember, she was staying at Windsor and we were waiting to go into lunch,’ Lady Pamela recalled. ‘The equerry had come to collect her for lunch with the Queen.
‘He was a new equerry, a young man of about 20, and thought he must entertain Princess Alice and talk to her.
‘He unwisely asked, “and what have you been doing this morning, Ma’am,’ to which Princess Alice replied: “And what has that got to do with you?”‘
Lady Pamela also explained that, despite living under the same roof as her son, Princess Alice and Prince Philip led very separate lives.
‘She was in a dressing gown, by choice, in the attic,’ Lady Pamela said. ‘While Prince Philip was very busy down below.’
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