India Hicks: 'I’ve lived in the Bahamas for 25 years, but I still feel fundamentally English'

The world I lived in as a child was very spoiled. But, on a personal level, I had a very unspoilt existence – thanks to my mum. When I was 12, I was bridesmaid to Prince Charles and Diana, and suddenly there was a lot of press interest in me; people wrote to me and I was on the cover of a magazine. My mother [Lady Pamela Hicks] was terribly no-nonsense about it all. It was, “Right, that’s done, now you can go back to school.” We were always brought up to recognise how lucky we were.

I have amazing memories of my grandparents’ [Earl and Countess Mountbatten’s] houses; their extraordinary estate at Broadlands and their castle in Ireland. They were remarkable places, with such a sense of history, but as a child I never got that. 

My grandmother slept with an atlas under her bed because she liked to travel so much

I was aware my grandfather was a war hero, though. There were signs in the house, model naval ships and uniforms, and I would go with him to watch Trooping the Colour. There was a star quality to him, definitely.

He used to call me “Decibel” because, apparently, I was quite noisy. But as the youngest of 10 grandchildren I was probably just trying to be heard. 

Looking back, it was an eccentric upbringing, but at the time I thought everyone’s parents designed their own dancing shoes with red heels – as my father did! I wouldn’t be who I am today if David Hicks [the interior decorator] had not been my dad. But there was a lot of angst that came with that, too.

Growing up, nothing much was expected of me. I remember coming out of school and saying “What next?” to my mother, and she was like, “Oh my goodness, I have no idea!”

I ended up backpacking around the world. I probably inherited my adventurous spirit from my grandmother, whom I never knew, unfortunately. She went to places women had never been before – the Great Wall of China, Japan... she was an extraordinary woman. My mother said she slept with an atlas under her bed because she liked to travel so much.

As a girl I could never have predicted that I would live on a small island in the Caribbean having founded a business that’s all about women’s empowerment

India Hicks

In my 20s I modelled for a while, but not terribly successfully. I loved the experience of being part of a team and working with people from all walks of life, but whether I was in haute couture or a pair of jeans, it didn’t really matter to me. 

I think I’ve always walked an unusual path. The decision to go to Gordonstoun school was my own, and I loved it. It’s quite remote; perched on the edge of a cliff in the north of Scotland with a raging sea all around. Funnily enough, the experience probably prepared me for 25 years of living on a small island in the Caribbean.

My father built a house on Windermere Island the year I was born, so I’ve been coming to the Bahamas since I was a small child. My partner David [Flint Wood] was managing a hotel on nearby Harbour Island, and I moved here in the mid-Nineties. When I first came, there was very little infrastructure; it was quite wild. There wasn’t a hint of smoked salmon or a coffee shop, or anything that we have now. 

Living here is a very mixed community, which I love. Even though I’ve lived here longer than I’ve lived in England, I don’t feel Bahamian. I feel fundamentally English. Really, I’m a global gipsy. 

Since starting my own lifestyle brand in 2015, every day is about design – accessories, handbags, leather and tassels – and I love every part of it. 

David and I have five children, but now that they are slightly older I feel I have this opportunity to really throw myself into my work. David and I have been unmarried together for 21 years; the children all carry his name, which is important to me. Our family unit is so strong, but I have no ambition to be married at all. 

As a girl I could never have predicted that I would live on a small island in the Caribbean having founded a business that’s all about women’s empowerment. The passing of time is inexplicable. Sometimes it’s like life is flashing past your eyes – especially now, because of the pace at which I’m running. But it is a good life.

One thing I’ve always done is live life to the fullest. I was one of the first people to bungee jump, before it was even legal in England. For my 50th, I jumped off Victoria Falls Bridge over the Zambezi.

The future definitely holds more. I don’t see myself slowing down in any way soon.

India Hicks: A Slice of England -The Story of Four Houses (Rizzoli, ￡39.95) is available from books.telegraph.co.uk for ￡35 plus p&p

indiahicks.com now ships to the UK