A Black English activist shared on Twitter her encounter with subtle racism from a former Buckingham Palace staff member who resigned after her racist remarks surfaced.
The Buckingham Palace worker was identified as the late Queen Elizabeth II’s former lady-in-waiting Lady Susan Hussey. The offensive encounter happened at a Buckingham Palace reception that raised awareness of domestic violence.
Ngozi Fulani, the head of the domestic abuse charity Sistah Space, attended the event. According to Fulani, Hussey approached her and touched her hair to remove it from blocking Fulani’s name tag. She then asked her where she was from.
“Sistah Space,” Fulani answered.
“No where do you come from?” Hussey tried again, repeatedly asking Fulani where she was from, specifically, “what part of Africa” she was from.
After Fulani told the woman that she was British, Hussey continued.
“No, but where do you really come from, where do your people come from?”
The Sistah Space chief executive was shocked by Hussey’s offensive question and asked, “what is this?”
“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?” Hussey continued.
Fulani informed her that her parents came to the UK in the ’50s and that she was genuinely British.
“Oh, I knew we’d get there in the end, you’re Caribbean!”
She corrected Hussey stating she was “of African heritage, Caribbean descent and British nationality.”
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. 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
Fulani said the moment happened within 10 minutes of arriving at the venue. Mandu Reid, the Women’s Equality Party leader, witnessed the exchange and explained to the Washington Post that it was similar to an interrogation.
“We were talking and were approached by Lady Susan Hussey — I know it was her because she was wearing a badge with her name on it,” she said. “It was question after question … it wasn’t fleeting, it was several minutes. It got more and more uncomfortable for us. Was she going to ask for ID next? It really felt like that almost.”
According to WAFB 9, Buckingham Palace is “investigating” Hussey’s comments.
This isn’t the first time a Buckingham Palace member made racial remarks. Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle publicly recalled a time when a royal staff member asked her what her baby’s skin color would be.
