The daughter of famed interior decorator David Hicks and Lady Pamela Hicks, India Hicks's grandfather was Lord Mountbatten, last Viceroy of the British Indian Empire. She was educated at Gordunstoun, in Scotland, where her godfather, The Prince of Wales, had been to school before her. She was a bridesmaid for the wedding of Prince Charles to Lady Diana in 1980. After earning a degree in photography, Hicks began a successful modeling career and Ralph Lauren snapped her up immediately as their face and muse and a career on the other side of the camera was born. Hicks has been photographed by some of the world's most renowned photographers – including Bruce Weber and Richard Avedon – for some of the world's leading magazines, and her her face has fronted many fashion houses and labels, including Ralph Lauren, Bill Blass, and Banana Republic. In 2006 India Hicks became Creative Partner to Crabtree & Evelyn and has launched two successful collections of bath and beauty products.