Lady Pamela Hicks, the late Queen Elizabeth’s bridesmaid, has proved you can still go wild when you’re 96…by inviting an array of exotic species to your birthday tea.
The aristocrat, who is the daughter of Lord Mountbatten and cousin of the late Duke of Edinburgh, once again celebrated the twilight of her life by enjoying an afternoon with, amongst other creatures, a meerkat, snake, tarantula and sugar glider.
Lady Pamela’s daughter, socialite India Hicks, shared footage of her mother marking her 96th birthday at her Oxfordshire home, with the late Queen’s former Lady in Waiting at one point seen sitting coolly with a tarantula on her hand.
It’s not the first time the nonagenarian has chosen to celebrate a birthday in her nineties with an animal encounter – she also marked her 93rd year in the same way.
In the Instagram post, Hicks revealed the interactive session, often the preserve of children’s birthday parties, was at the top of Lady Pamela’s list of ideas on how to celebrate her 96th birthday.
Hicks, 57, who was Princess Diana’s bridesmaid, explained to her 450,000 followers: ‘When I asked my mother what she would like for her 96th Birthday, she didn’t hesitate “I would like the tarantula back”.
She added: ‘And so he came, along with some other friends. Quite the birthday party.’
In one clip, Lady Pamela is seen holding out her arm before what appears to be a sugar gliders, a type of possum, leaps onto it.
And showing there’s no exotic species that phases her, the late Prince Philip’s cousin also got to grips with a snake.
A video shows Lady Pamela sitting comfortably as the reptile coils around her.
Other unusual creatures that made the birthday montage included a meerkat and a chinchilla, which the socialite is heard cooing ‘you’re so soft’ at.
Many of those watching were left in awe of Lady Pamela’s bravery at being so casual with creatures that make many run a mile.
One person wrote: ‘Amazing! I couldn’t have a tarantula on my hand. Your mother is fabulous.’
Another added: ‘Amazing how she’s just so comfortable with all those different creatures!’.
One person penned: ‘Lady Pamela continues to out-legend herself!’
India, who shares sons Wesley, Felix, Amory, Conrad and daughter Domino with her partner David Flint Wood, lives in the Bahamas, but frequently visits her mother’s stately home, known as The Grove, near Brightwell Baldwin, in Oxfordshire.
India is the King’s goddaughter and was bridesmaid at his wedding to the late Princess Diana.
The family has been close to the royals for decades, thanks to their connection through Lady Pamela’s father, Earl Mountbatten, who was the brother of Prince Philip’s mother and the last Viceroy and Governor-General of India.
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.
Earlier this week, Lady Pamela revealed her life lessons as she turns 96.
Speaking in her daughter India Hicks‘ podcast, recorded by her grandson Amory Flint Wood, Lady Pamela said that she was taught ‘manners’ to ‘accept all faiths’ and to ‘be loyal’ by her parents Lord and Lady Mountbatten.
‘I was taught by my parents to respect all faiths,’ she said.
‘During my late teenage years when I was living in India. I saw this illustrated by my time with Gandhi.
‘Religion is one tree with many branches’ he would say. During this time I was friends with Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and Buddhists.
‘We never felt any division, although these were politically heavy times. When I heard of the divisions that existed elsewhere, I quickly appreciated the way I had been brought up, without prejudice or suspicion of any other religious group.’
Hicks also shared a carousel of throwback photographs from different stages of the aristocrat’s life, including a number of black-and-white snaps.
India‘s post on Instagram included 12 photos, starting with a full-colour portrait of Lady Pamela sitting in a car, wearing a camel-coloured coat and a chic scarf covering her head and tied under her chin.
In the image, she looks straight at the camera with a soft smile on her face while holding a wooden walking cane.
India also released a podcast and video highlighting Lady Pamela’s life lessons from her 96 years on earth, titled ‘Lady P’s Final Podcast: Life Lessons’.
Mother and daughter discussed 10 of her top life lessons in the podcast, from duty and service to one’s country, which Lady Pamela says she learnt from her parents and the late Queen, to the importance of a sense of humour.
The aristocrat said of loyalty and family: ‘Family; love those closest to you unconditionally. Loyalty; to know you can really rely on someone and they can rely on you.’
She also highlighted the importance of ‘not being self-involved, but being self-aware’.
‘In the old days you didn’t think about yourself, now everyone only thinks about themselves,’ she lamented.
Lady Pamela has previously shared insight into Prince Philip’s family life and how the late Queen Elizabeth was often stoic in the face of difficult family relationships.
‘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.’
