India Hicks Reveals Skin Cancer Diagnosis Amid Royal Health Crisis

India Hicks, the goddaughter of King Charles III, has shared the shocking news of her skin cancer diagnosis, adding to the ongoing health struggles within the royal family.

In a heartfelt Substack post on Tuesday, December 2, the 58-year-old interior designer revealed that she received disappointing results from her “recent skin cancer operation” just ahead of Thanksgiving.

Hicks described the news as "not great — not dramatic-movie-scene not great, but just unsettlingly not great. The kind of news that makes the world blur slightly at the edges." She disclosed that the tests revealed a “worryingly fast-moving patch of cancer in my lower calf.”

Reacting to the diagnosis, Hicks expressed what many experience upon receiving such news: “I reacted the way most people do: a strange mixture of calm practicality and a little private terror.”

Hicks, whose mother, Lady Pamela Hicks, is a cousin to the late Prince Philip, explained her path forward, which involves surgery. She found a surgeon in Miami who performs Mohs surgery, a meticulous procedure where "thin layers of skin" are removed and examined for cancer, continuing until no signs remain, according to the Mayo Clinic.

“The procedure itself was only relatively uncomfortable,” said Hicks, who stood as a bridesmaid for King Charles and the late Princess Diana during their iconic wedding in 1981. “You sit there with an open incision in your leg while they whisk the tissue to the pathology lab. And then comes the hardest part: waiting.”

While waiting for results, Hicks candidly shared her mental state: “You feel fine, you’re chatting, you’re scrolling your phone, and yet everything hinges on what’s happening in another room.”

Fortunately, after the procedure, Hicks received good news. Her doctors declared her “lucky” and confirmed that she was clear of cancer this time. With Thanksgiving approaching, the timing allowed her to celebrate the holiday with her family. “I love the gathering, friends around the table, the loud laughter, the happy chaos,” she shared, reflecting on her love for the American holiday.

Hicks married her longtime partner, David Flint Wood, in 2021, and the couple has five children: Felix, 28, Wesley, 27, Amory, 26, Conrad, 22, and Domino, 18.

This diagnosis arrives amid a tumultuous period for the royal family, who are also grappling with multiple cancer battles. Buckingham Palace announced on February 2024 that King Charles, 77, is currently undergoing treatment for cancer, though specific details remain undisclosed. The palace did clarify that Charles does not have prostate cancer after a procedure for a benign enlarged prostate earlier in January.

Adding to the royal family's health woes, Princess Kate Middleton, Prince William's wife, publicly revealed her private struggle with cancer in March 2024, sharing that after undergoing chemotherapy, her condition is now in remission.