The Godmother of Prince William, Susan Hussey, has stepped down from her royal post following racist comments she made to a Black guest at Buckingham Palace.
During a summit addressing violence against women at the Palace, Ngozi Fulani of non-profit group Sistah Space reported receiving several racist comments from the former Lady Hussey.
"Mixed feelings about yesterday's visit to Buckingham Palace. 10 mins after arriving, a member of staff, Lady SH, approached me, moved my hair to see my name badge," Fulani Tweeted. "The conversation below took place. The rest of the event is a blur."
\u201cMixed feelings about yesterday's visit to Buckingham Palace. 10 mins 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.\nThanks @ManduReid & @SuzanneEJacob for support\ud83d\ude4f\ud83c\udffe\u201d— Sistah Space (@Sistah Space) 1669793145
In the conversation Fulani reported, Hussey repeatedly insisted that she is not of British nationality because of her African heritage.
"No, but where do you really come from, where do your people come from?" Hussey allegedly asked her, continuing, "Oh I can see I am going to have a challenge getting you to say where you're from. When did you first come here?"
Susan Hussey previously held the title of Baroness Hussey of North Bradley, also serving as Woman of the Bedchamber to the late Queen Elizabeth II. In 2021, she accompanied the queen to the funeral of her husband, Prince Philip.
A statement Wednesday from Buckingham Palace via Entertainment Tonight addressed the incident, referring to Hussey as "the individual concerned," and announced that she "[expresses] her profound apologies for the hurt caused and has stepped aside from her honorary role with immediate effect."
"We take this incident extremely seriously and have investigated immediately to establish the full details," the statement reads. "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 Palace added: "All members of the Household are being reminded of the diversity and inclusivity policies which they are required to uphold at all times."
As Hussey is godmother to Prince William, a spokesperson for the Prince and his wife Kate Middleton also told reporters: "I was really disappointed to hear about the guest's experience at Buckingham Palace last night. Obviously, I wasn't there, but racism has no place in our society. The comments were unacceptable, and it is right that the individual has stepped aside with immediate effect."
