Royal Goddaughter of King Charles Has Surgery Following Sudden ‘Fast-Moving’ Skin Cancer Discovery — Details

For the former model, the week opened with an unease she had not expected. A small medical check, the sort that usually passes without concern, quickly became something far more urgent.

India Hicks, the goddaughter of King Charles III and the daughter of Lady Pamela Hicks, recently shared a health update, disclosing that she underwent surgery for a type of skin cancer.

Writing on her Substack newsletter, the 58-year-old designer and former model shared that her test results “were not great.” And while they were not catastrophic, she clarified that they were unsettling enough to blur the edges of normal life.

“The results showed a worryingly fast-moving patch of cancer in my lower calf,” she wrote, adding, “I reacted the way most people do: a strange mixture of calm practicality and a little private terror. You tell yourself you’re fine, you make tea, you answer emails, all while a small internal voice is whispering, 'What if it’s worse than we think?'”

The news arrived just as Hicks had hoped for a rare week at home, “no airports, no security queues, no lost chargers or boarding groups.” But life, she said, had “its own mysterious choreography.”

After what she described as “many calls and a great deal of research,” Hicks travelled to Miami to undergo Mohs surgery, a specialised technique developed in the 1930s by Dr. Frederic Mohs. The delicate procedure involves removing cancerous tissue layer by layer, examining each under a microscope to ensure the margins are clear.

“You sit there with an open incision in your leg while they whisk the tissue to the pathology lab,” Hicks explained, “And then comes the hardest part: waiting.”

She described the process as a strange sort of limbo, caught between conversation and quiet dread, waiting for someone to return with news that could change everything.

Fortunately, when the door finally opened, the message was one she had hoped for: “This time I was lucky.” The doctor returned with the all-clear, confirming the cancer had been fully removed. “They stitched me back up (seventeen very neat stitches) and off I went,” she shared.

It was her second surgery in a short span, Hicks said with a hint of humour, noting that her assistant Claire was becoming rather skilled at removing her stitches and had joked before that she never wanted an ordinary job.

Following the successful operation, Hicks returned home in time for Thanksgiving, embracing a moment of relief amid the season’s warmth. She wrote, “I love the gathering, friends around the table, the loud laughter, the happy chaos.”

For Hicks — who divides her time between the Cotswolds and Harbour Island in the Bahamas — the experience was a sobering reminder of fragility. Yet her message carried no trace of self-pity. Instead, she was grateful for the doctors, the timing, and the simple gift of returning home healed.

It is a view that also threads through the creative path she has built over the years.

Known for her elegant design sensibilities and philanthropic ventures, Hicks built a multifaceted career after her modelling days in the 1980s and 1990s. She went on to launch her own lifestyle brand and write several books on island living and design.

She also runs The Sugar Mill, a boutique on Harbour Island that she has operated for two decades with her business partner, Linda.

When she’s not taking over the world with her business prowess, Hicks shares life with her husband, David Flint Wood, 64, a hotelier and drinks founder. Together they raise five children — Felix (28), Amory (26), Conrad (22), Domino (18), and their adopted son Wesley (27) — a close-knit family that she often features in her writing and photography.

For many readers, her honest update landed deeply. She let fear show without letting it win, a mix of openness and resolve that has long shaped the way people connect with her work and her story.

The images that follow trace the wider arc of that life, from her godfather to her early years as a royal bridesmaid and her more recent public appearances:

King Charles appears with a composed, slightly solemn expression as he walks outdoors, dressed in a dark overcoat, a white shirt and a pale blue patterned tie.

King Charles, photographed on 14 November 2025, appears with a concerned, slightly tense expression and is dressed in a grey suit, a checked shirt and a pale patterned tie.

The then-Prince and Princess of Wales on their wedding day, with a young India Hicks standing beside the Prince.

India Hicks, 13, stands with Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones on the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral as two of the bridesmaids at the royal wedding.

India Hicks attends the Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey on 29 March 2022 in London, wearing a grey dress with a front slit, a coordinating hat and black heels.

India Hicks is seen at the Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey on 29 March 2022, wearing a grey dress paired with a black veiled hat and gold brooch.

India Hicks attends the 35th annual Antiques & Garden Show at the Music City Center in Nashville on 31 January 2025, wearing a white blouse and appearing relaxed as she takes part in the event.