Prince William’s godmother, who asked a black British charity boss where she “really came from” during a Buckingham Palace reception, has now apologised in person.
Ngozi Fulani, founder of the charity Sistah Space, expressed shock at the comments by Lady Susan Hussey at the event two weeks ago, and has since described suffering “horrific abuse” on social media in the aftermath of the questioning by the late Queen’s lady in waiting.
The two met on Friday morning at the late Queen’s former residence, according to a statement released by Buckingham Palace.
“At this meeting, filled with warmth and understanding, Lady Susan offered her sincere apologies for the comments that were made and the distress they caused to Ms Fulani,” the statement said.
“Lady Susan has pledged to deepen her awareness of the sensitivities involved and is grateful for the opportunity to learn more about the issues in this area.
“Ms Fulani, who has unfairly received the most appalling torrent of abuse on social media and elsewhere, has accepted this apology and appreciates that no malice was intended.”
King Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort, “have been kept fully informed and are pleased that both parties have reached this welcome outcome”, the statement said.
The palace pledged that the royal households will “continue their focus on inclusion and diversity”, and will undertake an “enhanced programme of work which will extend knowledge and training programmes, examining what can be learnt from Sistah Space, and ensuring these reach all members of their communities”.
Both Ms Fulani and Lady Susan have asked to be left in peace to rebuild their lives in the wake of an immensely distressing period for them both, according to the statement, which was attributed to both Ms Fulani and the palace.
“They hope that their example shows a path to resolution can be found with kindness, cooperation and the condemnation of discrimination wherever it takes root,” the statement said.
“It is the wish of both parties that, at the end of the UN’s 16 days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, attention can now return to the important work of Sistah Space in supporting women affected by domestic abuse.”
The 83-year-old, who served as the late Queen’s lady in waiting for more than 60 years, resigned from the royal household and apologised after the encounter at a reception hosted by Camilla in late November to highlight violence against women and girls.
The former royal aide is alleged to have first touched the charity boss’s hair, moving it aside so she could see her name badge, before repeatedly asking her where she came from and allegedly exclaiming: “Oh I can see I am going to have a challenge getting you to say where you’re from.”
It is understood that William agreed it was right for his godmother Lady Susan to step down from her role, with a Kensington Palace spokesperson saying at the time that “racism has no place in our society”.
In an interview on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme a fortnight ago, Ms Fulani dismissed suggestions that the royal aide’s comments were a result of her age.
“I’ve heard so many suggestions it’s about her age and stuff like that and I think that’s a kind of a disrespect about ageism, are we saying that because of your age you can’t be racist or you can’t be inappropriate?” Ms Fulani said.
“If you invite people to an event, as I said, against domestic abuse, and there are people there from different demographics, I don’t see the relevance of whether I’m British or not British. You’re trying to make me unwelcome in my own space.”
It comes as the royal family weathers a series of personal claims in the controversial six-episode Netflix documentary about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Harry & Meghan.
The first part of the series, released last week, saw Prince Harry accuse the royals of having a “huge level of unconscious bias” and said that members of his family failed to grasp the “race element” during discussions about protecting Meghan from the media.
Additional reporting by PA
