After 26 years and five children together, India Hicks and David Flint Wood finally tied the knot on this day three years ago.
King Charles’ goddaughter, who was a bridesmaid at his wedding to Lady Diana Spencer, had led a bohemian life in the Bahamas with her partner David.
But when they finally decided to tie the knot, they tied the knot in a “very conventional” ceremony on September 10, 2021.
India wore an Emilia Wickstead wedding dress with a turtleneck in ivory tulle and an A-line skirt, which took 17 months to design and make.
Prince Charles’ goddaughter India Hicks married David Flint Wood, her partner of 26 years, in a star-studded ceremony at Brightwell Baldwin Parish Church in Oxfordshire in September 2021.
The granddaughter of Earl Mountbatten wore a high-necked wedding dress with ivory tulle and lace and an A-line skirt for the big day.
India Hicks and David were joined by India’s mother Lady Hicks, her daughter Domino and her bridesmaids and page boys.
According to the bride, it was “a dress that fit perfectly in a church deep in the English countryside.”
She completed her look with Christian Louboutin shoes.
It was a small wedding, with only about 30 guests, but among them were some well-known names such as jazz singer Jamie Cullum and his wife Sophie Dahl (granddaughter of the writer Roald) and actress Brooke Shields.
It took place at Brightwell Baldwin Parish Church in Oxfordshire.
India Hicks is a member of the extended Mountbatten clan, which, descended from Louis Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of India and uncle of Prince Philip, has strong royal connections.
India is a granddaughter on her mother’s side, Lady Pamela Mountbatten.
She had long insisted there were no plans to marry the former advertising executive, even after having five children together.
But in the end there was a change of heart.
“Having lived a rather unconventional life together on a small island in the Bahamas for over two decades, we decided that our wedding should, in contrast, be very conventional,” India wrote in an article for Fashion.
All five children — Wesley, 26, Felix, 25, Amory, 24, Conrad, 20, and Domino, 14 — were present.
The bride was escorted down the aisle by her eldest son, while her three other children walked ahead of her.
The bride was driven to the church by her son Wesley in David’s 1966 Mercedes Cabriolet. India and David adopted Wesley from the Bahamas after his biological mother died of cancer.
The bride’s mother, Lady Pamela Hicks (who was a royal bridesmaid at the Queen’s wedding in 1947), wore a navy silk shirt dress and hat.
India was a bridesmaid at the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. She is pictured second from the left at the wedding with the Queen and Diana.
The bride was driven to the church by her son Wesley in David’s 1966 Mercedes Cabriolet.
India arrives at the wedding holding a bouquet of flowers and accompanied by two of her four children.
The bride was walked down the aisle by her eldest son, while her three other children walked ahead of her.
Describing the moment she walked down the aisle, India said: “I was overcome with the feeling of being in exactly the right place at exactly the right time: there, standing at the altar, was the man I would eventually call my husband, with our five children watching the ceremony that was about to take place.”
The bride shared a selection of stunning photos from her ceremony, including India and David cutting their three-tiered wedding cake decorated with white roses at their lavish reception.
The newlyweds whisked their guests away to the Lord Nelson family pub, where they celebrated with Bloody Marys, Pimms and an al fresco lunch.
Their elegant reception was decorated with cascading foliage while dinner took place on a simple oak table decorated with greenery, white roses and candles, while string lights were scattered around the tent.
The couple had enjoyed a party the previous night with 100 guests, and said they were “proud” that none of the guests “had Covid or gone down with it”, before heading to a pub lunch with loved ones after their traditional nuptials.
India Hicks is seen talking to her mother, Pamela Hicks, at the glamorous event.
The bride and groom accompanied by their five children, the bride’s mother and her flower girls and page boys.
The bride’s mother, Lady Pamela Hicks, who was a royal bridesmaid at the Queen’s wedding in 1947, also joined in the festivities wearing a navy silk shirt dress and hat.
On the evening of the party, India wore a long white mermaid gown with lace detailing and ribbon sleeves by Naeem Khan.
She revealed the couple had planned to tie the knot in winter in December 2020 but postponed plans after revealing the romance “came to a halt” as she tried to plan the big day in line with Covid-19 restrictions.
‘In early September we set the date for our small wedding. We sent out invitations, designed dresses and debated vows (to obey or not to obey?). But as the weeks went by, the romance began to fade a little.
“I think the turning point came when our priest told us we couldn’t have hummable hymns, as hummable hymns are not within Covid protocol. So we’ll wait a little longer, which is fine because we’ve already waited 25 years.”
Speaking to the Daily Mail ahead of the big day, she said: “He asked me very much to marry him. I said, ‘I love you deeply, but no. I don’t want to be his wife.'” I didn’t.
The couple cutting their three-tiered wedding cake decorated with white roses at their reception.
The bride completed her look with a blue family brooch and Christian Louboutin shoes.
The wedding took place at Brightwell Baldwin Parish Church in Oxfordshire (pictured) and the reception at the Lord Nelson pub.
“I wanted to be a very independent woman. I wanted to have children and have them have their own name, but I didn’t want to get married.”
She later admitted: “I didn’t really expect being married to be any different than not being married. We had already been locked in a loving relationship for 26 years.”
“But it took my breath away to discover how spiritual it was to walk into the church on the arm of my oldest son and say those vows to David in front of all our friends and family, in the church where I had been baptized and where my father lay buried. It was a feeling of intense intimacy.”
Ms Flint Wood and her husband, a former Saatchi & Saatchi executive, moved to the Bahamas in 1996 and have built and restored four homes and a hotel there.
India is the daughter of Lady Pamela Mountbatten and interior designer David Hicks.
American actress Brooke Shields attended the wedding in Oxfordshire three years ago
Many stars saw it, including jazz singer Jamie Cullum and his wife, former model Sophie Dahl, granddaughter of writer Roald
Among the guests was presenter Kirstie Allsop, pictured arriving at the wedding.