King Charles could face a difficult decision this weekend as the funeral of Lady Pamela Hicks is due to take place on the same day as Trooping the Colour.
Lady Pamela, one of Queen Elizabeth II’s closest friends and confidantes, will be laid to rest on Saturday afternoon at Brightwell Baldwin Church in Oxfordshire following her death on 5 June at the age of 97.
However, her funeral is scheduled to begin at 3pm, just hours after the conclusion of Trooping the Colour, the King’s official birthday celebrations and one of the most important events in the royal calendar.
Buckingham Palace has not confirmed whether the King or any members of the Royal Family will attend the service.
The timing presents a potential diary conflict for Charles, who is expected to lead the traditional military parade before appearing on the Buckingham Palace balcony alongside senior royals for the RAF flypast.
While the main Trooping the Colour events are expected to conclude by early afternoon, the logistics of travelling from central London to rural Oxfordshire mean any attendance would require careful planning.
The uncertainty comes just days after the King paid a warm tribute to Lady Pamela following news of her death.
In a statement released by Buckingham Palace, Charles said he was “greatly saddened” by her passing, describing his sorrow as being “tempered by the fondest memories and deepest gratitude for her long life and loyal service to Queen Elizabeth”.
He added that Lady Pamela’s “warmth, wit and perspicacity always made such an impression” and said she would be “dearly missed by all those who knew and loved her”.
Lady Pamela occupied a unique place in royal history.
Born Pamela Mountbatten in 1929, she was the younger daughter of Lord Louis Mountbatten and Edwina Mountbatten and was a first cousin of Prince Philip. Through her family connections she enjoyed an extraordinarily close relationship with the Royal Family throughout her life.
She served as a bridesmaid when Princess Elizabeth married Philip in 1947 and later became a lady-in-waiting to the future Queen.
In February 1952, she was accompanying Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh in Kenya when news arrived that King George VI had died. The moment marked the beginning of Elizabeth II’s reign, making Lady Pamela one of the few people present at one of the most significant turning points in modern royal history.
She remained a trusted friend of Queen Elizabeth II for decades and was among the last surviving figures with direct memories of the early years of the late Queen’s reign.
Whether members of the Royal Family will be able to attend her funeral remains to be seen.
The service takes place as thousands gather in London for Trooping the Colour, ensuring that even in death, Lady Pamela’s farewell coincides with one of the monarchy’s most important ceremonial occasions.
