A Buckingham Palace staff member has resigned after she reportedly asked a Black guest where she 'really came from' at an event
AP
- A member of the royal household has reportedly stepped down over comments made to a guest.
- The individual, thought to be a lady-in-waiting, reportedly asked the guest where she "really came from."
- The incident took place at an event hosted by Camilla, Queen Consort.
Buckingham Palace said that a staff member had resigned after making "unacceptable" comments at a palace event.
The palace said that "unacceptable and deeply regrettable comments have been made" and that the staff member "would like to express her profound apologies for the hurt caused" and had resigned from her honorary role, the BBC reported.
Ngozi Fulani is the founder of Sistah Space, a charity that supports African and Caribbean women affected by domestic violence. The palace's statement was made in response to a Twitter post by Fulani, where she detailed an encounter with a member of the royal household on Tuesday.
Fulani tweeted that she was asked by a palace staff member where she "really came from" after saying she was born in the UK during an event hosted by the Queen Consort on Tuesday.
Fulani shared a full transcript of the alleged conversation in the Twitter post.
—Sistah Space (@Sistah_Space) November 30, 2022
In the initial tweet, Fulani identified the staff member as "Lady SH." In a follow-up tweet, she said she does not wish to reveal the full identity of the person involved.
Mandu Reid, leader of the UK's Women's Equality Party, wrote on Twitter that she was at the event and that she witnessed the encounter unfold.
"I was right there. I witnessed this firsthand. We were at an event that was supposed to celebrate our work," Reid wrote. "For people like Lady SH, people like us will never really belong here."
Roya Nikkhah, the royal editor at The Sunday Times, said in a tweet on Wednesday that the palace confirmed to her that the staff member who resigned was Lady Susan Hussey.
Hussey was one of the new "ladies of the household," which the palace recently announced as replacements to ladies-in-waiting, a nonsalaried, honorary role given to aristocratic women who act as personal assistants to members of the royal family.
Hussey was initially hired to respond to letters after Prince Andrew's birth in 1960, according to Hello Magazine, and she accompanied Queen Elizabeth II at official state events before her death on September 8.
She was known as the palace's "Number One Head Girl" and was previously described as "one of the key trusted figures helping the Queen in her later life," according to Tatler.
Representatives for Buckingham Palace, Ngozi Fulani, and Mandu Reid did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.