Lady Pamela Hicks may have been born into a life of privilege, but her entry into the world was far from grand.
In April 1929, while eight months pregnant, her mother, Edwina Mountbatten, decided to take a short holiday in Spain for some rest.
At the time, Spain was on the edge of civil war, and Edwina was staying at the Ritz Hotel in Barcelona when she suddenly felt unusually fatigued.
It soon became clear that her baby's arrival was closer than anyone had anticipated.
As Pamela's daughter, India Hicks, recounts in her book, Lady Pamela, Edwina phoned the hotel reception to request a doctor.
'The hotel got in a terrible flap, putting her on hold, only to come back and tell her that they could produce an ear, nose and throat specialist,' India writes.
Feeling overwhelmed, her husband, Lord Mountbatten, reached out to his cousin, Queen Ena, in Madrid.
However, Ena was away, so King Alfonso himself took the call.
Lady Pamela Hicks may have been born into a life of privilege, but her entry into the world was far from grand (pictured with her mother Edwina Mountbatten)
'"We're having a baby!" exclaimed my grandfather [Lord Mountbatten].
'The King, a great womaniser, got the wrong end of the stick and replied, "Oh my dear Dickie. I won't tell anyone."
'"Tell everyone. It's my wife, Edwina, who's having the baby."
'"Leave everything to me," said the King and rang off.'
Within thirty minutes, the royal guard had surrounded the Ritz Hotel, under strict orders not to let anyone enter.
But, when the doctor arrived and hurried towards the entrance, he was arrested by mistake.
'After some panicked explanations the ENT doctor was allowed up, remembered his obstetric training, and came up trumps,' India continues.
Despite what was described as a 'somewhat tumultuous' labour, Pamela was safely delivered and lovingly wrapped in an embroidered layette provided by local nuns.
Edwina Mountbatten and her husband Lord Mountbatten in the 1930s
Edwina married Louis Mountbatten in 1922
Edwina pictured with her two children, Patricia (left) and Pamela (right)
Edwina, her daughter Pamela and husband Louis arrive at the Hyde Park Hotel for a coming out party in June 1950
Lady Edwina Mountbatten pictured with friends Baillie Hamilton and Emily Ashley ahead of the Jewels of the Empire Ball, held at the Park Lane Hotel in London
The funeral of Edwina aboard HMS Wakeful off Portsmouth in February 1960. Louis Mountbatten watches the coffin, alongside his daughters Pamela and Patricia and his sister Princess Alice
Pamela served as a bridesmaid and later as a lady-in-waiting to her third cousin, Queen Elizabeth II
Pamela and her daughter India attend the funeral of Patricia Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, at St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge, in June 2017
With no proper crib available, the newborn spent her first few nights sleeping in a small dog's basket until something more suitable could be found.
Due to Pamela's unexpected birth in Barcelona, her parents selected Carmen, the Duchess of Peñaranda, as her godmother - a glamorous but notorious aristocrat who would later cause a scandal by running away with a bullfighter.
They also chose Carmen as one of Pamela's middle names.
India explains: 'They must have felt indebted to the Spanish for my mother's arrival as she was also given Carmen as her middle name - the same one I gave to my own daughter, after my mother made me promise never to name her Pamela.'
Lady Pamela, who resides inOxfordshire, is a great-great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria through her father - and her oldest living descendant.
She served as a bridesmaid and later as a lady-in-waiting to her third cousin, Queen Elizabeth II.
In January 1960, she married interior designer David Nightingale Hicks; the couple remained together until his death in 1998.
They share three children: Edwina, who is named after her maternal grandmother, Ashley and India.
Pamela celebrates her 96th birthday today.
