Palace figure quits over racist remarks

A prominent lady-in-waiting to the late Queen Elizabeth II and godmother to royal heir Prince William resigned from her role in the Buckingham Palace household and expressed “profound apologies for the hurt caused,” after she repeatedly asked a Black British guest at the palace: “Where are you really from?”

Lady Susan Hussey, 83, had been dubbed “Number One Head Girl” for the central role she played in the queen’s life, and the new King Charles III recently had extended her honorary duties. But a spokesperson for Buckingham Palace said that a complaint emerging from a Tuesday reception had been “investigated immediately,” with the conclusion that “unacceptable and deeply regrettable comments” had been made.

Ngozi Fulani, a British activist and chief executive of domestic abuse charity Sistah Space, was one of about 300 people invited to Buckingham Palace for a reception to raise awareness about violence against women and girls.

Fulani posted on social media that a member of staff badgered her with a series of questions about where she was from, including: “What part of Africa are you from?” and “When did you first come here?”