King Charles has been left "greatly saddened" by the news that Lady Pamela Hicks has died, a Buckingham Palace spokesman has said.
Lady Pamela's daughter, India, confirmed her mother's death on social media.
The 58-year-old told her 480,000 Instagram followers that she is "simply grateful that she was my mother," as she penned a poignant tribute to Lady Pamela, who she described as "truly the last of her kind".
A childhood friend of then-Princess Elizabeth, Lady Pamela stood beside the future monarch as a bridesmaid at her wedding to Prince Philip in November 1947.
And later, India was a bridesmaid at then-Prince Charles and Princess Diana's wedding in 1981.
The King has now expressed his sorrow over the death of his mother's friend.
"His Majesty was greatly saddened to learn of the death of Lady Pamela Hicks, a sorrow tempered by the fondest memories and deepest gratitude for her long life and loyal service to Queen Elizabeth," a Palace spokesman said.
"The King and Queen’s thoughts are with Lady Pamela’s family, as they mourn a woman whose warmth, wit and perspicacity always made such an impression, and who will be so dearly missed by all those who knew and loved her."
King Charles has been left 'greatly saddened' by the news that Lady Pamela Hicks has died, a Buckingham Palace spokesman has said
|PA/GETTY
Pamela Carmen Louise Mountbatten was born in 1929 at the Ritz Hotel in Barcelona into European royalty, tracing her lineage directly to Queen Victoria, her great-great-grandmother.
Following the late Queen's wedding to Prince Philip in 1947, Lady Pamela joined the couple on a tour of Kenya and was depicted in the hit Netflix show, The Crown.
It was during this trip that the Queen learned of her father's death, and subsequently that she would take the throne.
Queen Elizabeth II's former lady-in-waiting was not invited to King Charles's 2023 Coronation.
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Lady Pamela's daughter, India, confirmed the news of her mother's death on social media
|INSTAGRAM: INDIAHICKSSTYLE
India revealed at the time that the ceremony had been reduced from the late Queen's 8,000 guests to 1,000, "alleviating the burden on the state".
"The King was sending his great love and apologies, he was offending many family and friends with the reduced list," she said.
"My mother was not offended at all."
Announcing the death of her mother today, India wrote on social media: "My mother died peacefully today.
"Whilst there is no tragedy in the death of a 97-year-old who has lived a full life I know grief will be unavoidable, lurking around waiting for me, but today I am simply grateful that she was my mother. And through the prism of a crowded and remarkable past, she made incomparable company, carrying her memories lightly, and always with humour.
"My mother maintained right up to the end, the impeccable style, sharp mind, and effortless charm that made her not only a cherished institution, but truly the last of her kind."
Lady Pamela is survived by her three children and eight grandchildren.