In the past years, the British royals have been embroiled in many allegations of racism.
In an investigation conducted by The Guardian, documents revealed that Queen Elizabeth II’s courtiers banned “coloured immigrants or foreigners” from office roles until the late 1960s.
Apart from this, Prince Harry and Markle broke their silence on the racism they faced inside the palace walls. Speaking with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, the Duchess of Sussex revealed an unnamed member of the family had a concern about how dark Archie’s skin might be.
Just recently, Buckingham Palace is once again engulfed in another racism controversy.
On November 30, Black charity leader Ngozi Fulani, founder of Sistah Space, took to Twitter to detail the racism incident she faced during a royal reception on combatting violence against women hosted by Queen Consort Camila.
In a now-viral tweet, Fulani, a British national, revealed that a certain royal aide named “Lady SH” had repeatedly asked her where the charity leader came from and her 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
When Fulani responded that she was from the United Kingdom, “Lady SH” further interrogated her. “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?” the royal aide allegedly asked.
“Lady SH,” who was later identified as Lady Susan Hussey, Prince William’s godmother and one of late Queen Elizabeth II’s ladies-in-waiting, even moved Fulani’s hair to see her name badge.
“It was like an interrogation. Although it’s not physical violence, it’s abuse,” Fulani told BBC Radio 4 in an interview. “I have to really question how this can happen in a space that’s supposed to protect women against all kinds of violence.”
In response to the recent allegation, Buckingham Palace released a statement, confirming that the incident happened and that Hussey had “stepped aside from her honorary role.”
“We take this incident extremely seriously and have investigated immediately to establish the full details. In this instance, unacceptable and deeply regrettable comments have been made,” the palace said in a statement. The palace added that they already reached out to Fulani and invited her again to discuss her experience “if she wishes.”
“In the meantime, the individual concerned would like to express her profound apologies for the hurt caused and has stepped aside from her honorary role with immediate effect. All members of the Household are being reminded of the diversity and inclusivity policies which they are required to uphold at all times,” the statement continued.
On the other hand, Prince William’s spokesperson addressed the incident at the time of Prince William and Princess Kate’s tour in the United States, saying that “racism has no place in our society.”
“I was really disappointed to hear about the guest’s [Fulani] 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,” the spokesperson said.
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