Lady Susan Hussey, a longtime member of Buckingham Palace staff, apologised and resigned after being accused of making racist comments at a reception held by Queen Consort Camilla earlier this week.
As per The Daily Mail, a guest at a Palace event on violence against woman, hosted by Queen Camilla, accused Lady Susan Hussey, godmother of Prince William and previously the late Queen’s lady-in-waiting, of inquiring about her racial heritage.
The complaint came from Ngozi Fulani, the CEO of Hackney Charity Sistah Space, who said that a certain ‘Lady SH’ from the Palace staff asked her insulting questions about her race after reading her name tag at the event.
As per the activist, Lady Susan Hussey asked her, “Where do you come from?”, to which she replied that her charity is based in Hackney. Lady SH allegedly went on to ask her, “No, what part of Africa are you from?”
“We were stunned to temporary silence… I stood at the edge of the room, smiled and engaged briefly with [sic] who spoke to me until I could leave. I think it is essential to acknowledge that trauma has occurred and being invited and then insulted has caused much damage,” Fulani said of the incident.
Following the allegations, Buckingham Palace issued an official statement that read: “We take this incident extremely seriously and have investigated immediately to establish the full details.”
“In this instance, unacceptable and deeply regrettable comments have been made. We have reached out to Ngozi Fulani on this matter, and are inviting her to discuss all elements of her experience in person if she wishes.”
The statement then confirmed Lady Susan Hussey’s resignation, saying: “In the meantime, the individual concerned would like to express her profound apologies for the hurt caused and has stepped aside from her honorary role with immediate effect. All members of the Household are being reminded of the diversity and inclusivity policies which they are required to uphold at all times.”