Published Dec 8, 2025

Queen of Posh, King Charles’ Goddaughter India Hicks, 58, Undergoes Mohs Surgery After Skin Cancer Discovered On Her Leg

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Understanding Mohs Surgery

India Hicks, King Charles’ goddaughter and British designer, recently underwent Mohs surgery after skin cancer was found on her lower calf, and is now cancer-free. She shared her experience online, reflecting on the unsettling diagnosis and using her story to raise awareness.
Mohs surgery is a microscopically-controlled surgery where surgeons remove thin layers of skin tissue until they reach clear tissue without cancer.
Experts recommend checking your body for unusual spots or moles at least once a month. If you find any new spots or changes in size or color, you must see a doctor immediately.
Some people battling a disease like cancer are open to sharing their experiences as much as they can, while others prefer to keep it to themselves. SurvivorNet experts say both approaches and everything in between are valid.
It’s important to remember that choosing to share a cancer journey is a personal choice, whether you’re a celebrity or not, and the same goes for other private topics.

King Charles’ goddaughter India Hicks, a 58-year-old mom of five and British designer, recently underwent Mohs surgery after skin cancer was discovered on her leg lower calf.

Although she hasn’t disclosed the exact type of skin cancer, we’re admiring her resilience through a menacing diagnosis and her ability to share her health journey with the public to raise awareness.

What You Need to Know About Skin Cancer

Hicks, who is now “cancer-free” after a successful surgery, took to the online publishing platform Substack to recount her health journey, writing, as per People, “The test results from a recent skin-cancer operation came back, and the news was…not great.

“Not dramatic-movie-scene not great, but just unsettlingly not great. The kind of news that makes the world blur slightly at the edges.”

She continued, “I reacted the way most people do: a strange mixture of calm practicality and a little private terror. You tell yourself you’re fine, you make tea, you answer emails, all while a small internal voice is whispering, ‘what if it’s worse than we think?'”

Although the former fashion model, who shares five children with her husband David Flint Wood, didn’t specify whether she had Melanoma,
Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC), or Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC)—she did note that the doctors found a “worryingly fast-moving patch of cancer” on the lower part of her calf.

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Hicks eventually traveled to Miami, Florida, [as she reportedly resides in both the Bahamas and England] to see a doctor who could remove her cancer surgically as quickly as possible—a procedure she later described as “only relatively uncomfortable.”

The type of surgery she had done is called Mohs surgery, and it’s often performed to remove cancerous tissue, or tissue doctors suspect may be cancerous, on the skin.

“You sit there with an open incision in your leg while they whisk the tissue to the pathology lab. And then comes the hardest part: waiting,” she explained.

“You feel fine, you’re chatting, you’re scrolling your phone, and yet everything hinges on what’s happening in another room.”

Following a successful surgery, she learned that all the cancer had been completely removed, just in time for Thanksgiving.

Hicks’ cancer battle comes as 77-year-old King Charles is still undergoing treatment for cancer after doctors discovered it while treating his enlarged prostate last year, something that occurs in most men as they age.

His health is reportedly “moving in a positive direction,” however, the specific type of treatment plan he is on hasn’t been disclosed.

Meanwhile, Catherine, Princess of Wales—widely known as Kate Middleton—is now in remission following treatment for an undisclosed type of cancer.

Last year, she revealed that an abdominal surgery she had in March led to the cancer diagnosis. Although she has not disclosed the specific type, she has since undergone and completed chemotherapy.

What is Mohs surgery?

We’re delighted to India Hicks raising awareness for skin cancer after recently undergoing Mohs surgery—a microscopically-controlled surgery where thin layers of tissue (typically, skin cancer tissue) are removed until the surgeon reaches clear tissue.

“You’re able to remove a very conservative margin around the cancer and study it in essentially real-time,” Dr. Sumaira Aasi, Director of Mohs and Dermatologic Surgery at Stanford, told SurvivorNet in a previous conversation.

If, when the surgeon examines the tissue under the microscope, cancer is found, the surgeon goes back and removes some more tissue, which is what happened in Hicks’ case.

Dr. Sumaira Aasi, Director of Mohs and Dermatologic Surgery at Stanford, explains what Mohs surgery is.

The idea is that by making the tiniest cuts and evaluating them microscopically, the surgeon knows for certain that all the cancer is out when the last piece of tissue proves to be clear. It is often done as an outpatient procedure with local anesthetic.

“The Mohs surgeon will take a conservative cut circumferentially around the cancer where we’re able to preserve healthy tissue,” Dr. Aasi explained. “We’re able to process the tissue and look at the cancerous tissue and know where there are still tumor cells persisting.

Dr. Aasi continued, “Because as the Mohs surgeon removes the cancer, it’s mapped out, and we can go back specifically to the areas where we see cancer cells and take, again, another conservative margin or amount of tissue.”

Understanding Skin Cancer

Skin cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal skin cells. This growth usually happens when un-repaired DNA damage prompts mutations, or genetic defects, that lead the skin cells to multiply fast and form malignant tumors. Although this may sound scary, education is the first step to prevention, and you’re taking that step right now.

Skin cancers are majorly categorized into three types:

Melanoma: Though less common, it’s the deadliest of them all.
Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC): Quite common and has the ability to spread distantly if not treated. The vast majority are low risk but some can be aggressive and require multiple treatment.
Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC): The most common type, but luckily the least likely to spread.

Another skin cancer that is much less common, but worth mentioning is Merkel Cell Carcinoma, which is rare and mostly occurs in older adults (average age 74-76). It can be aggressive locally and spread distantly.

For most skin cancers you can take steps to reduce your risk and prevent hem. Prevention as well as early detection and treatment are your best chances at a good outcome.

Top 5 Ways to Protect Your Skin From Skin Cancer:

Recognizing the Early Signs

Let’s talk about the first signs of skin cancer. Your skin is your body’s largest organ, so paying attention to changes is vital. Essentially, skin cancer shows up as a persistent change in your sample of skin. The changes may vary according to the type of skin cancer, but here are some general things to look out for:

New growths: Any new growth or sore that doesn’t heal should be an alarm for you. Even a small change is worth having a look at.
Changes in existing moles: Moles are usual suspects in skin cancer cases. Watch out for moles that start to evolve or change in color, size, or shape. Or if the moles like different from other spots on your skin this can also be a sign to get checked by a health care professional.
Itchy or painful lesions: Skin areas that are constantly itchy, hurting, scaly, or bleeding could be early signs of skin cancer.
Spots with irregular borders: If you see spots with uneven borders or color, take note.
Unusual size or shape: Any spot greater than 6 millimeters (roughly the size of a pencil eraser) is suspicious. Also, be mindful of any sore that doesn’t heal.

Remember, you know your body best. If you notice something out of the ordinary, don’t shrug it off – get it checked out. The early detection of skin cancer significantly increases the chances of successful treatment. Plus, it’s always better to be on the safe side.

Also, don’t forget – although we’ve listed some common signs, skin cancer can sometimes behave differently. If something feels off, trust your instincts and consult your doctor. A regular skin examination by a dermatologist can also be a great step towards prevention.

Leading Experts Urge Us to Be Proactive

“If I had any advice for you following a cancer diagnosis, it would be, first, to seek out multiple opinions as to the best care,” National Cancer Institute Chief of Surgery Steven Rosenberg told us in a previous interview, “because finding a doctor who is up to the latest of information is important.”

As we highlight in several areas of SurvivorNet, highly respected doctors sometimes disagree on the right course of treatment, and advances in genetics and immunotherapy are creating new options. Also, in some instances the specific course of treatment is not clear cut. That’s even more reason why understanding the potential approaches to your disease is crucial.

At the National Cancer Institute, there is a patient referral service that will “guide patients to the right group depending on their disease state so that they can gain access to these new experimental treatments,” Rosenberg says.

Cancer Research Legend Urges Patients to Get Multiple Opinions

Furthermore, getting another opinion may also help you avoid doctor biases. For example, some surgeons own radiation treatment centers. “So there may be a conflict of interest if you present to a surgeon that is recommending radiation because there is some ownership of that type of facility,” Dr. Jim Hu, director of robotic surgery at Weill Cornell Medical Center, tells SurvivorNet.

Other reasons to get a second opinion include:

To see a doctor who has more experience treating your type of cancer
You have a rare type of cancer
There are several ways to treat your cancer
You feel like your doctor isn’t listening to you, or isn’t giving you good advice
You have trouble understanding your doctor
You don’t like the treatment your doctor is recommending, or you’re worried about its possible side effects
Your insurance company wants you to get another medical opinion
Your cancer isn’t improving on your current treatment

Bottom line, being proactive about your health could be a matter of life or death. Learn as much as you can from as many experts as you can, so that you know that you did your best to take control of your health.