King Charles is facing a difficult dilemma after receiving tragic news of a family death last week.
Last week, the monarch, 77, expressed his “great sadness” after learning Lady Pamela Hicks, his first cousin once removed and a bridesmaid of the late Queen Elizabeth, had passed away.
According to a peerage notice in The Times, Lady Pamela’s funeral will take place on Saturday, 13 June – the same day as Trooping The Colour, the King’s official birthday parade in London.
The King will take the Royal Salute at around 11 am, before watching the Fly Past by the Royal Air Force at 1 pm, meaning he has a packed schedule for the rest of the afternoon.
Lady Pamela will be laid to rest at Brightwell Baldwin Church in Oxfordshire in the afternoon, which is scheduled for 3pm.
While this will put pressure on his attendance, it won’t be impossible. Last weekend, the King made an incredibly speedy turnaround after attending the wedding of his nephew, Peter Phillips, and NHS nurse Harriet Sperling in the Cotswolds.
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He arrived at Epsom in Surrey less than an hour later for the races after travelling via royal helicopter.
Paying tribute
Lady Pamela passed away on 5 June, aged 97, with the news confirmed by her daughter, India Hicks, in a moving tribute on social media.
Lady Pamela Hicks passed away last week (Getty Images)
“My mother died peacefully today,” she told her followers. “Whilst there is no tragedy in the death of a 97-year-old who has lived a full life, I know grief will be unavoidable, lurking around waiting for me, but today I am simply grateful that she was my Mother.”
Afterwards, King Charles released a statement via a Buckingham Palace spokesperson, saying: “His Majesty was greatly saddened to learn of the death of Lady Pamela Hicks, a sorrow tempered by the fondest memories and deepest gratitude for her long life and loyal service to Queen Elizabeth.
The King now faces a difficult decision (Getty Images)
“The King and Queen’s thoughts are with Lady Pamela’s family, as they mourn a woman whose warmth, wit and perspicacity always made such an impression, and who will be so dearly missed by all those who knew and loved her.”
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Funeral request
On Tuesday, India revealed her mother’s final wish, left to her family. She said her mother left them behind an envelope containing a single page.
Writing on Instagram, India said it contained “a single page: a few words about how much she loved us, followed by a simple request: no eulogy, no sermon, no memorial. But please, lots of rousing hymns.”
“That is exactly what we intend to do,” she said, adding: “In death, as in life, my mother wanted things to be uncomplicated.”
