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India Hicks is a philanthropist, designer, businesswoman, and former model. She was born in London in 1967. She is a descendant of the Mountbatten family. She earned a degree in photography at the New England School of Photography in 1990. After graduating, Hicks became an interior designer and a model for Ralph Lauren, among others. She moved to the Bahamas in 1996, where she published books, promoted home and beauty products, and introduced a line of jewelry. She also started a local boutique shop called The Sugar Mill Trading Company.

Early life, family, and education
India Hicks was born in 1967 in London. She is the granddaughter of the Earl and Countess Mountbatten of Burma and the second cousin of the Prince of Wales. Additionally, her mother was a lady-in-waiting to the Queen of England and her father, David Hicks, was a famous interior designer. She is 678th in line for the throne of England.

Hicks grew up in Oxfordshire, England while visiting the Bahamas, where her father built a beach house. She also visited a family estate in Ireland for holidays. As a child, she was a tomboy that kept her distance from the royal affairs she would later become more involved in. Hicks was exposed to design at an early age through her father and brother, who were both architects. Hicks was on vacation in Ireland in 1979, when her grandfather was killed by a bomb planted on his boat. At the time, Hicks was 11 years-old.

As a teenager, Hicks was a bridesmaid at the 1981 Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. Hicks went to boarding school in Scotland at Gordonstoun, until she was expelled for having boys in her room. She then went backpacking across the country of India. Hicks moved to Boston, Massachusetts at age 18 to study photography at the New England School of Photography, where she graduated in 1990.

Career
After graduating college, Hicks' father introduced her to Emilio Pucci in Florence, Italy, where she modeled swimsuits. Later on, she got a job modeling for Ralph Lauren in New York City. She also did modeling work for Tod's, J.Crew, and others. She lived in Paris for three years, before moving to New York City for three years. Due to her modeling work, she traveled frequently. Hicks moved to the Bahamas in 1996 with David Flint Wood.

In the Bahamas, Hicks restored homes, invested and remodeled a hotel, and published several books on design and lifestyle. Her first book called "Island Life" was a design book with photographs of Hibiscus Hill, a house she designed. This was followed by a second book about beauty and a third book on photography and design. Hicks also started a boutique shop in the Bahamas called the Sugar Mill Trading Company with a business partner, Linda Griffin. It focuses on jewelry, clothes, household goods, and other items.

From 2005 to 2014, Hicks worked with Crabtree & Evelyn as a spokeswoman and creative consultant for home and skincare products. They created the India Hicks Island Living and India Hicks Island Night lines of soaps, candles, and perfumes.

In 2008, Hicks co-hosted the second season of the Bravo interior design show "Top Design" in Los Angeles, California. She introduced her own line of jewelry in 2011. Hicks also became a public commentator on events surrounding the royal family and the 2011 wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. In 2015, Hicks created an e-commerce venture called India Hicks Inc. with partners Nicholas Keuper and HauteLook. It sold jewelry, handbags, perfumes, beauty products, and other goods. The business grew to more than $10 million in annual revenues.

Hicks also worked with the Home Shopping Network on a line bedding products called India Hicks Island Living.

Personal life
Hicks met her life partner David Flint Wood as a child. Then, they re-connected as adults later in life during a vacation in the Bahamas. Hicks moved to the Bahamas in 1996. She was pregnant with their first child four months later. She now has five children, including a son she adopted from a local waitress who died of breast cancer. They built a house called American Farm on empty land in Oxfordshire, England that Hicks inherited. Hicks initially decided against getting legally married until late 2020, when she announced plans to marry Flint Wood.

Hicks ran several marathons. She also rode a 100 mile bike ride to raise money for cancer victims, in memory of her adopted son's biological mother. She partners with a local food bank. In 2020, Hicks pleaded guilty to shoplifting a coat at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court and was ordered to pay costs and a victim surcharge.

Hicks is a prolific scrapbooker.

List of works

 * (2004) Island Life: Inspirational Interiors
 * (2006) Island Beauty
 * (2015) India Hicks: Island Style
 * (2018) India Hicks: A Slice of England
 * (2020) An Entertaining Story