The former lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth II snubbed a black British woman at Buckingham Palace with questions about her origins. The palace’s hasty reaction shows the explosive power of accusations of racism for the royal family.
She was a close confidant of Queen Elizabeth II. Now Lady Susan Hussey has introduced a new racism scandal to the royal palace.
The incident happened on Tuesday evening. “Queen consort” Camilla had invited to her first big reception at Buckingham Palace – in honor of organizations and activists who fight against domestic violence. Guests also included Ngozi Fulani, a prominent black activist who runs the east London-based organization Sistah Space.
Fulani later recounted a conversation she had with a female member of court staff on the organization’s Twitter account. This briefly raised the racism debate in Britain and prompted the Royal Palace to make a hasty attempt at damage control – to prevent the affair from completely overshadowing William and his wife Kate’s trip to America.
Insistent questions about origin
According to her own statements, the lady repeatedly asked Fulani where she “really” came from or where “her people” came from. She was not satisfied with the answer that she was born in Great Britain and was British. Eyewitnesses described the scene as some kind of interrogation. And Fulani told the BBC on Thursday she had felt unwelcome and questioned about her British citizenship.
Mixed feelings about yesterday’s visit to Buckingham Palace. 10 minutes after arriving, a member of staff, Lady SH, approached me, moved my hair to see my name badge. The conversation below took place. The rest of the event is a blur.
thanks @ManduReid & @SuzanneEJacob for support?? pic.twitter.com/OUbQKlabyq— Sistah Space (@Sistah_Space) November 30, 2022
The woman who alienated Fulani is Lady Susan Hussey. The 83-year-old is a goddess of the heir to the throne, Prince William, and for decades served as maid of honor and close confidant of Queen Elizabeth II, with whom she sometimes spent several weeks at a time at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
After the Queen’s death, the Royal Palace found a new role for Lady Hussey and two other ladies-in-waiting aged 85 and 79. They were named «ladies of the household». In this role, Hussey’s responsibilities included assisting the royal family at official receptions.
Firm response from the palace
The palace responded quickly and decisively to the incident on Wednesday afternoon. The royal family takes the incident very seriously and the person concerned has resigned from her voluntary role with immediate effect and apologizes for the suffering caused, it said in a statement. Prince William also spoke through a spokesman: “Racism has no place in our society. The statements were unacceptable and it is correct that the person concerned resigned immediately.”
In the past, the palace had often hesitated to react to scandals. Now William and the royal palace acted remarkably quickly and decisively, which of course also caused isolated criticism. The journalist Petronella Wyatt, who has known Lady Hussey personally for a long time, spoke of an overreaction. The former lady-in-waiting to Elizabeth II is a very warm person and certainly not a racist – the conversation was a misunderstanding.
In fact, the affair for the 83-year-old is a bitter end to a long career at court. But the royal palace also has a social role model function, especially since the late Queen always saw herself as the mother of the country who embodied British values. How society deals with racism and which comments or statements are acceptable to Britons with roots in the colonies is therefore also reflected at court.
Waiting for Harry’s bio
King Charles III is aware that the racism debate is explosive for the monarchy. When it comes to trips abroad by members of the royal family, the problematic legacy of the colonial era is increasingly discussed. In addition, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan said in a TV interview in 2021 that they had experienced racism in the royal family. Now the royal palace is awaiting with concern Harry’s biography, announced for early 2023, which could rekindle the debate.