The Band of the Household Cavalry perform on the forecourt of Buckingham Palace in London after playing Happy Birthday before the ceremony for the Changing of the Guard to mark the 74th birthday of King Charles III. Picture date: Monday November 14, 2022. (Photo by Victoria Jones/PA Images via Getty Images)
Racist behavior within Britain’s Royal Family? Meghan Markle called it in 2021, and the innanet never forgets! This week, people are dragging Buckingham Palace after a Black charity CEO shared her unsettling experience during a royal reception.
Ngozi Fulani accused someone she only identified as Lady SH of questioning her nationality and birthplace. The BBC and local London press later identified the perpetrator as 83-year-old Lady Susan Hussey. She served Queen Elizabeth II for six decades as her lady-in-waiting and close friend.
Meanwhile, the reason Fulani was at the palace was for a reception hosted by Queen Consort Camilla to raise awareness for violence against women and girls.
“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 rest of the event is a blur,” Fulani tweeted before thanking two people for their support.
Fulani’s recollection of the conversation alleges persistence on Hussey’s part about her identity! The CEO says the royal staff member asked her questions like, “what part of Africa are you from,” “where do you really come from” and “when did you first come here.”
Throughout the interaction, Fulani reiterated that she was born in Britain, but Hussey allegedly refused to accept the answer. Instead, she kept digging–even after Ngozi shared that her parents immigrated to Europe in the 50s.
In a follow-up tweet, Fulani agreed that “the person was offensive” and said, “it serves no purpose to name and shame her.” Instead, Fulani suggests that the system is what needs revision.
This is the second public accusation of racism against the palace in under two years. But this time, instead of the family “privately” addressing “the recollections,” as they did with Meghan and Harry’s experience, Hussey resigned.
The palace has not confirmed Hussey was the staff member in the incident but said the person offered “profound apologies for the hurt caused” in a statement on Wednesday.
“We take this incident extremely seriously and have investigated immediately to establish the full details,” Buckingham Place said, per The New York Times. “In this instance, unacceptable and deeply regrettable comments have been made.”
Their 2022 statement differs from their response to Meghan and Prince Harry’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey. The couple revealed “concerns and conversations” in the palace about “how dark” their child’s skin might be. At the time of those conversations, Meghan was pregnant with their first child Archie.
“The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan,” the 2021 statement said. “The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately. Harry, Meghan, and Archie will always be much-loved family members.”
Harry denied that skin color concerns came from his grandmother or grandfather. Days after the interview was released, Harry’s brother Prince William briefly spoke to the press, saying, “we are very much not a racist family.”
According to TMZ, Prince William feels “really disappointed” about the incident. Hussey is his godmother.
“Racism has no place in our society, these comments were unacceptable, and it’s right that the individual concerned has stepped down,” Prince Williams said.
People online haven’t held back their thoughts on the latest scandal surrounding the Royal Family! Some are tearing apart Fulani’s account–accusing her of being a Meghan Markle sympathizer looking for a moment. Others are giving the resignation news “SHE TOLD US” energy. Regardless of who they’re backing, the reactions have kept the news trending for over 24 hours.
The Sistah Space CEO, whose organization supports African and Caribbean women with histories of abuse, gave additional context about the interaction to the local press. She called the line of questioning “racism plain and simple” but insisted she wants the focus back on the work her organization is doing for Black women and girls.
