A close friend of the late Queen Elizabeth II apologized at Buckingham Palace on Friday to a black Briton, whom she had persistently asked where he was from at a reception in late November.
A meeting took place in Buckingham on Friday morning between the two women, said a joint statement from the palace and Ngozi Fulani, president of the Sistah Space Association, a British association that supports black women victims of domestic violence.
“During this meeting, filled with warmth and understanding, Lady Susan offered her sincerest apologies for the comments that were made and the distress they caused Madame Fulani,” the statement read.
“Where are you really from?”
Susan Hussey, 83, was Queen Elizabeth II’s lady-in-waiting for more than 60 years and is Prince William’s godmother. Ngozi Fulani had denounced the statements made to him by Susan Hussey at the end of November, during a reception at Buckingham Palace. These revelations had plunged the British royals into a new controversy.
Ngozi Fulani had reported on Twitter that Susan Hussey repeatedly asked her where she was from, even touching her hair to see her name on her badge, during a reception hosted by Queen Consort Camilla.
“Where are you from in Africa?” “Where are you really from? Where do people like you come from?” Susan Hussey would have asked the feminist and anti-racist activist.
Before the outcry, Buckingham Palace had denounced “unacceptable comments” and announced the resignation of Susan Hussey.
“Lady Susan is committed to deepening her awareness of the sensitivities involved and welcomes the opportunity to learn more about the issues in this area,” read the statement released on Friday, in which the word racism does not appear at any time.
Buckingham under fire from critics
“Madame Fulani, who has been wronged by the most appalling torrent of abuse on social media and elsewhere, has accepted this apology and understands that no malice was intentional,” the statement continued. Ngozi Fulani said that she received a lot of insults after the controversy and that Sistah Space had to cease most of its activities for security reasons.
“The Royal House will continue to focus on inclusion and diversity… looking at what can be learned from Sistah Space,” the statement read. “The King and Queen Consort and other members of the Royal Family… are pleased that both parties have reached this welcome outcome.”
This issue of racism has been a particularly sensitive one for the royal family since Prince Harry and his wife Meghan accused it of lack of support and racism in a shocking interview on US television last year. Harry also spoke about the “unconscious biases” of the royals when it comes to racism in a documentary about the couple, which aired this week and last week on Netflix.
Source: BFM TV
