Buckingham Palace Staff Member Resigns Over Remarks to Black Guest

 

When Ngozi Fulani was invited to a glittering reception at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday hosted by Camilla, the queen consort and wife of King Charles III, she did not expect to find herself being repeatedly questioned by a member of the household staff about where she was from.
Ms. Fulani, who is Black and was born in Britain, documented the exchange with the staff member, whom she identified as “Lady SH,” on Twitter. The encounter, in which the employee seemed unwilling to believe Ms. Fulani was British, rattled her, she said. And it left her with “mixed feelings” about the gathering, which was dedicated to raising awareness about violence against women and girls, showcasing Camilla’s involvement in this cause.“The rest of the event is a blur,” wrote Ms. Fulani, who runs a charitable group, Sistah Space, that helps women of African and Caribbean descent who are victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse.
Less than 24 hours later, Buckingham Palace said the staff member had resigned and offered her “profound apologies for the hurt caused.” The BBC and London newspapers identified her as Susan Hussey, 83, a close friend of Queen Elizabeth II who served her for six decades as a lady-in-waiting and is godmother to Prince William. The palace did not confirm the staff member’s identity.
“We take this incident extremely seriously and have investigated immediately to establish the full details,” the palace said in a statement on Wednesday. “In this instance, unacceptable and deeply regrettable comments have been made.”
The swift action and strong language suggested that Charles, who took the British throne three months ago after the death of his mother, was intent on showing he would not tolerate any perception of racist behavior in the royal household. It also seemed calculated to avoid having the incident overshadow a trip to the United States this week by Prince William, the king’s elder son and heir.
William reacted even more bluntly, saying through a spokesman, “Racism has no place in our society. The comments were unacceptable, and it is right that the individual has stepped aside with immediate effect.”
The incident carried a distinct echo of accusations of racism in the royal family leveled by Meghan, a biracial American-born actress and the wife of Prince Harry, William’s brother. In a televised interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021, Meghan said that a royal family member, whom she did not name, had expressed concern about the skin color of her unborn child.