22 hours Ago
In April 1929, while eight months pregnant, her mother, Edwina Mountbatten, decided to take a short holiday in Spain for some rest. At the time, Spain was on the edge of civil war, and Edwina was staying at the Ritz Hotel in Barcelona when she suddenly felt unusually fatigued. It soon became clear that her baby's arrival was closer than anyone had anticipated.
As Pamela's daughter, India Hicks, recounts in her book, Lady Pamela, Edwina phoned the hotel reception to request a doctor. 'The hotel got in a terrible flap, putting her on hold, only to come back and tell her that they could produce an ear, nose and throat specialist,' India writes. Feeling overwhelmed, her husband, Lord Mountbatten, reached out to his cousin, Queen Ena, in Madrid.
However, Ena was away, so King Alfonso himself took the call. Lady Pamela Hicks may have been born into a life of privilege, but her entry into the world was far from grand (pictured with her mother Edwina Mountbatten) '"We're having a baby!" exclaimed my grandfather [Lord Mountbatten]. 'The King, a great womaniser, got the wrong end of the stick and replied, "Oh my dear Dickie.
I won't tell anyone." '"Tell everyone. It's my wife, Edwina, who's having the baby.
" '"Leave everything to me," said the King and rang...
Rebekah Absalom.
