One of the ladies-in-waiting of the late Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022), Lady Susan Hussey, has apologized and left the royal family after a racism scandal. The British media report. At an event at Buckingham Palace, the 83-year-old, who is Prince William’s godmother, is said to have repeatedly asked Ngozi Fulani, the head of a charity, where she “really” came from.
Ngozi Fulani said Susan Hussey moved her hair to see her name tag and asked where her “people” were from, despite telling Hussey she was British, according to The Guardian.
In an “Independent” interview, Fulani explained that the problem is “bigger than a person. It’s institutional racism”. She added: “I was in shock after it happened and anyone who knows me knows I can’t take nonsense like that.” She continued, “But I had so many things to consider. As a black person, I found myself at this point where I wanted to say something.” But what happened would “automatically be seen as my fault,” Fulani said, and it would harm her charity, Sistah Space.
The palace described Susan Hussey’s comments as “unacceptable and deeply regrettable”, according to media reports. A spokesman for Prince William said: “Racism has no place in our society”. It continued: “The comments were unacceptable and it is correct that the person has resigned with immediate effect.”
Lady Hussey was a close confidant of the late Queen for decades and accompanied her, among other things, to the funeral of Prince Philip (1921-2021) in 2021. The widow of former BBC chairman Sir Marmaduke Hussey (1923-2006) continued to work for the palace after the Queen’s death. She is considered a close friend of King Charles III. Her daughter, Katherine Brooke, has just been appointed as one of the “Queen’s Companions” of King Consort Camilla, supporting Charles’ wife rather than the ladies-in-waiting.
