Aristocracy aside, India
Hicks has designs on business
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[March 21, 2017]
By Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan
NEW
YORK (REUTERS) - India Hicks - goddaughter to the Prince of Wales,
granddaughter of Britain’s last viceroy in India and bridesmaid of the
late Princess Diana - may have been born into aristocracy, but she has
not rested on her laurels.
Hicks, whose late father was celebrated interior designer David Hicks,
lives in the Bahamas with her partner and five children, and has written
three books on island life and style. In 2015, she started a
self-branded direct sales lifestyle company that sells bags, home
accessories and beauty items inspired by British culture and island
life.
Whether it is running a business, writing books or raising her children
(ages 9 to 19), Hicks, 49, has learned several lessons learned along the
way. Recently, she talked to Reuters about them.
Q: You have such an unusual family background - what early lessons on
money did you learn at home?
A: My father had a very powerful quote: “Good taste and design are by no
means dependent on money.” Now living in a world filled with creative
entrepreneurial people, from all walks of life, this really resonates
with me, although not at the time when he wrote it in my little
autograph book. I was 8 years old and utterly confused.
Q: What kept your feet on the ground as a child?
A: As a child I lived on a large estate with exotic pets such as golden
pheasants and strutting peacocks, and we may have holidayed in the South
of France and the Bahamas, but I only ever wore hand-me-down clothes
(including my brother’s scratchy underpants).
If I wanted something new, I always had to wait until a birthday or
Christmas, and even then it would be something very understated. My
mother grew up during the war and had lived through some very frugal
years.
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Q: What was your first job?
A: When my parents sold the family home along with most of the valuable
contents I was around 11 years old. Sotheby’s handled the sale and the
public came through our house to see the collection and bid on items. I
was allowed to sell my toys and dolls during the three-day sale. Does
this count as a first job? It certainly gave me a taste for commerce. I
began modeling seriously when I was 19 and have earned my own income
ever since.
Q: What has your career in modeling as well as business taught you about
wealth and money?
A: I have learned to be very cautious and to take nothing for granted.
Having worked in the modeling industry for so many years, I have seen
countless models become very successful, make an awful lot of money and
lose it very quickly because they had no idea how to invest, how to be
cautious and how to be clever with their fortune. I have learned to take
advice from people all the time, from people you respect. There is no
harm in asking questions; there is no harm in admitting that you don’t
know certain things.
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![](../images/032117pics/busine45.jpg)
India Hicks, a bridesmaid at the wedding of Prince Charles and
Princess Diana leaves the Service of Thanksgiving for the Life of
Diana at the Guards' Chapel at Wellington Barracks in London, August
31, 2007. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor
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Q: How
do you give back?
A: I had extraordinary grandparents who believed that we should take nothing for
granted and that we must always be responsible, grateful and give back as much
as we can.
Wesley, my foster son, from the Bahamas, is one of the greatest blessings of my
life, and because of him we are reminded of what we have every day and feel
grateful every day.
As a family, we tend to focus on the island and give back to island causes and
local communities.
Q: What life lessons do you try to pass down to your own kids?
A: I try to set an example for my children by working hard at something that I
believe in. I try to show them that rewards come from staying the course and
being committed. When I travel to an event I try to bring one of my kids with
me, so they can see the real work and effort that goes into creating something
substantial, successful and rewarding.
(Editing by Beth Pinsker and Frances Kerry)
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