As a mother of four boys, India Hicks hadn’t given much thought to what it might be like to have a daughter, until the arrival of her youngest child, Domino Flint Wood.
“I always think I was born to be a boys’ mum. I absolutely love my boys – I was prepared for a rugby team – but there is something very special about having a daughter,” the designer, author, humanitarian and former model tells HELLO!.
“Domino and I are very close. We’re quite similar and, like my mother, we’re unfussy people who don’t suffer fools easily,” she adds.
The close bond between India, 58, and Domino, 18, is clear to see as they invite us into their home in Oxfordshire for this exclusive interview and photoshoot ahead of Mother’s Day. However, India reveals that a recent health scare meant she had to keep her daughter shielded while she underwent screening for cancer.
India and her husband, the former advertising executive David Flint Wood, brought up their five children on Harbour Island in the Bahamas. As well as Domino, they are parents to designer Felix, 28, film-maker Amory, 26, student Conrad, 22, and marine technician Wesley, 29, whom the couple adopted after his mother died of breast cancer in 2010.
Although the tropical island is an idyllic location, India was confronted with the harsh reality of spending so many years in the sun late last year, when a fast-growing skin cancer was discovered on her calf during a routine check-up.
Cancer scare
“I’m religious about skin cancer check-ups and I’d had one six months earlier, but something felt not quite right on my leg, so I flew to Miami to see a specialist,” she recalls. “It was a squamous cell carcinoma, which isn’t life-threatening if you’re quick.
“It was very narrow but very deep and aggressive, and had gone down to the bone, so I had to have it cut out straight away.
“I didn’t tell the kids until afterwards; the words ‘deep’ and ‘aggressive’ made me nervous, so I wanted to have the procedure before worrying anyone but David. This wasn’t anywhere near the experience of someone going through a long-term illness, but it was a short, sharp reminder of the damage I had done to myself, and that for someone fair-skinned like myself, living in a tropical climate, getting checked once a year is not enough. I will be much more vigilant about it.”
Royal connections
Although Domino’s upbringing in the Bahamas is a world away from her mother’s childhood – India is a goddaughter of the King, while her mother, Lady Pamela Hicks, the daughter of the 1st Earl of Mountbatten, is a cousin of the late Duke of Edinburgh and was a lady-in-waiting and bridesmaid to the late Queen – the pair have a great deal in common, from a shared love of fashion and travel to a passion for philanthropy.
“We speak or text all the time, and I take every opportunity to travel with her, and have amazing adventures together,” India says. “Domino has her feet on the ground. I know girls can be tricky, but I’m blessed with a very uncomplicated daughter.”
Domino adds: “My mum definitely treats me differently. My brothers call me Princess, which I pretend to hate but secretly don’t mind at all. Being the only girl means that Mum and I have this unspoken understanding. We can look at each other across a room and know exactly what the other is thinking.
“She is still very much my mother, and she can absolutely be strict when she needs to be, but she is also my best friend. I tell her almost everything. Almost.”
“My four brothers are all completely different, but they are definitely protective,” she continues. “I genuinely don’t know what will happen when I bring a boyfriend home. I think there may be some sort of interview process.”
Style tips
Having modelled for Ralph Lauren before carving out a career as a fashion and homeware designer, India could hardly be accused of lacking style. But, as any mother to a teenage daughter knows, there is always something new to learn.
“Domino came on my book tour to Australia last year and she was watching me get ready to talk in front of a large crowd of people. She said, ‘What are you doing?’ I said, ‘I’m putting on some eye shadow.’ She said, ‘That is not eyeshadow. That is contour.’ I said, ‘What’s contour?'” India recalls with a laugh.
“We do swap clothes quite a lot, but I have to remind myself that I’m 58, not 18, and to check that I’m not looking too absurd.”
There are some instances in which India has earned cool mother points, however, such as asking the legendary shoe designer Christian Louboutin to be Domino’s godfather.
“I’m very lucky to have wonderful godparents, and yes, Christian Louboutin, who has been Mum’s friend since she was 18, does come with certain perks,” says Domino, who joined her mother at Paris Fashion Week in October.
“Paris was surreal. I suddenly understood why people get so obsessed with fashion. It’s not just clothes; it’s storytelling and theatre and confidence. I give Mum fashion advice and she actually listens, which is funny,” she adds.
Star-studded event
As an ambassador for her godfather’s flagship charity, The King’s Trust, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, India will chair the trust’s star-studded Invest in Futures fundraising gala in London on 12 March.
Robbie Williams will be performing and there will be a silent auction to raise money for the charity’s work to end youth unemployment, with prizes including a dinner at Fortnum & Mason, hosted by Dominic West, and a chance to sail with Sir Ben Ainslie.
“This extraordinary man had this vision to start a trust with his Navy severance pay, and he thought: ‘Let’s put this towards something that can help marginalised young people,'” she says of the King. “His mother, and now him, are very good examples to us that we can all give a bit more.”
India has made sure that her children are involved in her philanthropic efforts. As an executive board member of the disaster relief charity Global Empowerment Mission, she has taken her sons to help the efforts in Ukraine, while back home in the Bahamas, Domino packed food parcels during the Covid-19 lockdowns and helped to deliver computers to children whose school was destroyed by Hurricane Dorian in 2019.
“I think living somewhere so beautiful but also so grounded teaches you gratitude quite quickly,” Domino says. “Mum has always made sure that we understand how lucky we are. It’s not about big gestures; it’s about showing up consistently, she always says.”
For more on the auction for the King’s Trust, visit uk.emma-live.com/InvestInFutures2026/list-silent-lots
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