Queen Elizabeth's Lady-In-Waiting Recalls Monarch's Wedding Day, Letter After Prince Philip's Death

Queen Elizabeth II's former lady-in-waiting is opening up about her relationship with the monarch and the note she received from the Queen after Prince Philip's death last year.

Lady Pamela Hicks, 92, was a first cousin of Prince Philip, served as a bridesmaid when Elizabeth tied the knot with the Duke of Edinburgh in 1947 and was a lady-in-waiting for the then-princess when she acceded to the throne in 1952.

Pamela's daughter India Hicks, who was a bridesmaid at Prince Charles and Princess Diana's royal wedding in 1981, has shared with People some of her mother's anecdotes about the Queen.

Recalling the Queen and Prince Philip's nuptials, Pamela said, "I rather remember [Elizabeth] was cool as a cucumber as always at her wedding—just there, and the whole world going mad around her."

During her conversation with her daughter, the former lady-in-waiting also recounted her reaction when the news came that Elizabeth's father, King George VI, had died on Feb. 6, 1952 — making then-25-year-old Elizabeth the new Queen.

"I remember going and hugging her. And then thinking, 'Oh my goodness, She's Queen' — and going into a deep curtsy," Pamela said.

She also opened up about the touching letter she received from the Queen after the death of the 95-year-old monarch's husband in April 2021 after 73 years of marriage.

"One thing that was moving: When you wrote to [Elizabeth] after Prince Philip's death, she wrote back to you, saying, 'Of course, you have known him longer than I,'" India recalled.

"Yes, she is doing fine," Pamela added. "She wrote and thanked me for her Christmas present. She remarked on her enormous extended family but said because of coronavirus, of course, they were a much-reduced but still large family party for Christmas."

Pamela went on to say that she believes the Queen will be remembered for her commitment to "duty, steadfastness and interest in people" — traits the former lady-in-waiting said Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton also have.

Lady Pamela previously shared some details about the day Elizabeth became Queen on her daughter's podcast

She recalled that it was Prince Philip who broke the news of King George's death to his wife while they were out on a stroll on the grounds of the Treetops Hotel in Aberdare National Park during a four-day state visit to Kenya. The Queen immediately cut the trip short and flew back to the U.K. in haste.

"We were the last people in the world to hear the news," Lady Pamela said. "She goes up that ladder as a princess; the King dies that night; she comes down that ladder a Queen."