A black woman who was asked where 'in Africa she comes from' by a close friend of the Queen says that age isn’t an excuse for 'racism.'
Ngozi Fulani was visiting Buckingham Palace when she was quizzed about her ethnicity by 83-year-old Lady Susan Hussey who has since stepped down from her role.
During an interview on Radio 4's Today programme, Ngozi said that she had heard people highlighting Lady Hussey’s age as an excuse for her behaviour and felt that it was ‘ageist.’
Ngozi said: “I’ve heard suggestions about her age and stuff like that and I think that’s kind of a disrespect, an ageism kind of thing.
“Once I established that she appeared to be of sound kind, and that this is what it appears to be, then I have to really question how this can happen in a space meant to protect women from all kinds of violence.
“Although it’s not physical violence, this is abuse.”
She went on to question if Lady Hussey’s age could be a defence against racist behaviour.
Ngozi said: “Are we saying because of your age, you can’t be racist or you can’t be inappropriate?
The race row broke out after Ngozi tweeted about her ordeal with Hussey at the royal residence on Tuesday.
She said despite telling the Queen's former lady-in-waiting, who is also Prince William's godmother, that she was British she was “interrogated” for five minutes.
Speaking to the Mirror, Ngozi said that 10 minutes after arriving at the royal residence, Lady Hussey 'put her hand in her hair', which left her and colleagues at the event “stunned to silence.”
She claims Hussey asked her: "Where do you come from?", "what nationality are you?", "where do your people come from?" and "what part of Africa are you from?"
Prince William has said in response that "racism has no place in our society" and that the comments were "unacceptable."
After the exchange, Ngozi said she wanted to flee the function but had to stay because was representing her charity which helps black domestic violence victims.
She said: "I just wanted to leave, I felt very unwelcome. I've never lived anywhere else, I've only lived in Britain," she said.
"So someone to come and tell me, someone who has been in the royal household for her to kind of just insist that I'm not British.
"Those were not her words but that's the implication. I don't know how to process that."
An investigation has been launched and the palace slammed the "unacceptable and deeply regrettable comments" and Hussey had stepped downn
However, Ngozi said that she did not want her to quit her position but instead for training to be rolled out at Buckingham Palace and that ‘not knowing’ was not an excuse.
She said: "That's not what I want. I want for women of African and Caribbean heritage to be able to go to these places, safely and for people who work for any establishment to be aware of racism. Because, 'I didn't know', is no longer an excuse.
"That's terrible, I'm not having that. I think it's a training thing rather than anything else."
Ngozi has has denied Buckingham Palace's claims they have reached out to her.
Speaking on ITV's Good Morning Britain today alongside her daughter she told hosts Ben Shephard and Kate Garraway: "I don't know where this is coming from but I'm telling you categorically we have not heard from the Palace."
