ISLAND BLISS

Designer and royal goddaughter India Hicks shows us around her idyllic home in the Bahamas

- TRACY SCHAVERIEN

A gentle breeze blows in from the sea and huge ferns create a cooling shade as India Hicks steps barefoot onto the veranda of her beautiful home on Harbour Island in the Bahamas.

The designer – a second cousin and goddaughter to King Charles – has lived in the tropical paradise for almost 30 years with her husband, David Flint Wood, and, even after all this time, has never tired of its blue skies and warm sense of community.

"Most evenings, I walk my dogs down to the beach and watch the moon rise and the sun set and I remind myself how incredibly lucky I am," says India as she invites Hello! into her home for this exclusive interview and photoshoot.

"When I first came here, I was literally barefoot and pregnant, and the lady who lived here said that she would only sell the house if I was going to make it a family home.

"She died several years ago, and I sometimes think how pleased she would be because I couldn't possibly have made it more of a family home."

These days, the mother of five finds the house considerably quieter than it once was. Three of her children have flown the nest and her youngest is away at school, but all of them visit often.

Felix, 27 a designer like his mom has worked with India on her table-linen collections. Amory, 25, a filmmaker, helps with her videos. Conrad, 21, is studying philosophy at university, while their youngest child, daughter Domino, 17, is still in high school. And Wesley, 27 – whom the couple adopted after his mother died of breast cancer in 2010 – works on Harbour Island as a marine technician.

FAMILY HOME