EXCLUSIVE: Late Queen’s lady-in-waiting Lady Susan Hussey offers to meet black campaigner in racism row

• Lady Hussey offered to meet with campaigner who accused her of racial ‘abuse’
• The 83-year-old has reiterated her wish to apologise directly to Ngozi Fulani
• Sources said Palace officials had ‘reached out’ through a number of channels
• Miss Fulani says she felt ‘violated’ after she ‘interrogated’ her about where she was from at a Palace reception on Tuesday, despite making clear she was British

Lady Susan Hussey has offered to personally meet with the British charity campaigner who accused her of racial ‘abuse’.

Friends told the Mail that the 83-year-old former lady-in-waiting to the late Queen, who was retained by the king in an honorary role, has reiterated her wish to apologise directly to Ngozi Fulani.

Sources also made clear that contrary to suggestions that the charity founder had not heard from them, Palace officials had ‘reached out’ through a number of channels including Safe Lives, the domestic abuse charity who invited her to attend, in order to express their ‘profound’ regret for the ‘unacceptable’ comments and were keen to engage with her when she felt ready.

They will continue to do so but it is clear that they have not yet heard back from Miss Fulani, who has given several media interviews on the incident.

Lady Susan Hussey has offered to personally meet with the British charity campaigner who accused her of racial ‘abuse’

Sources say it is their hope that she will engage with the Palace to discuss her experience directly in the hope that they can work with her when she is ready, and express apologies in person.

Miss Fulani says she was left feeling ‘violated’ after Prince William’s godmother, who served as the late Queen’s right-hand woman for 62 years, ‘interrogated’ her about where she was from at a Palace reception on Tuesday, despite her making clear she was British.

Claims: Ngozi Fulani told Good Morning Britain she had not heard from the Palace since Prince William’s godmother, Lady Susan Hussey, ‘interrogated’ her about where she was from

She also accused Lady Susan of moving her hair in order to look at her name badge and asked her: ‘What part of Africa are you from?’ when she replied that she came from Hackney.

On Wednesday, after Miss Fulani published details of their conversation on social media, which was backed up by witnesses, Buckingham Palace announced that she was resigning her honorary post as a ‘Lady of the Household’ and expressed her profound apologies for the offence caused.

Miss Fulani says she was left feeling ‘violated’ after Prince William’s godmother, who served as the late Queen’s right-hand woman for 62 years, ‘interrogated’ her about where she was from at a Palace reception on Tuesday, despite her making clear she was British

Sources have told the Mail that while there was no doubt that the comments were made, ‘absolutely no malice was intended’.

While some royal insiders have suggested that the Palace threw Lady Susan to the wolves over the incident, the Mail has been told that, however distressing the circumstances, the Palace had no choice but to act swiftly and decisively, or risk graver accusations of complacency and worsening the already difficult situation.

A friend of Lady Susan said that it was ‘inaccurate’ to suggest that she feels the Palace has turned its back on her.

Indeed, multiple sources have told the Mail that she undertook to step aside voluntarily and was not forced to resign.

A source said: ‘She has immense loyalty to the King and Crown and did not want this to embarrass them further.’

Another friend added: ‘Lady Susan is 100 per cent being looked after. She is being personally supported in reflection of her age and loyal service. It has been hugely distressing for all concerned and I know the Palace is grateful for the way that she has dealt with this very upsetting situation. She continues to be helped by the unwavering support of her family.’

Her decision to volunteer to immediately resign her position in the face of such a difficult situation is being seen internally as an act of great service and loyalty.

Palace officials are hopeful that if Miss Fulani takes up their offer to sit down and discuss the incident with Lady Susan then ‘lessons with be learnt in a spirit of co-operation’.

It came as Miss Fulani described her Buckingham Palace ordeal as a ‘form of abuse’.

The founder of the London-based domestic abuse charity Sistah Space, which works with domestic abuse victims from African and Caribbean backgrounds, today denied anybody from the Palace had contacted her to apologise for the comments made during the Queen Consort’s reception highlighting violence against women and girls.

She told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: ‘No. I don’t know where this has come from, but I’m telling you categorically – we have not heard from the Palace.’

She also said Lady Susan moved her dreadlocks during the exchange so she could read her name badge.

‘That’s a no-no,’ Miss Fulani said. ‘I wouldn’t put my hands in someone’s hair, and culturally it’s not appropriate.’

She added: ‘Although I didn’t experience physical violence, what I feel I experienced was a form of abuse.’

Miss Fulani also dismissed suggestions Lady Hussey’s comments were down to her age.

On Wednesday, after Miss Fulani published details of their conversation on social media, which was backed up by witnesses, Buckingham Palace announced that she was resigning her honorary post as a ‘Lady of the Household’ and expressed her profound apologies for the offence caused 

She told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘Are we saying that because of your age you can’t be racist or you can’t be inappropriate?

‘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.’

Miss Fulani has received widespread support since Tuesday’s event, including from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s long-time friend, celebrated photographer and social activist Misan Harriman, who described her as ‘a GIANT in her field’.

He wrote on Twitter: ‘She has dedicated her life to protecting women that are survivors of domestic violence.

‘They should have known who she was and celebrated the fact that she is one of the souls that makes this country great.’

Mr Harriman famously announced Meghan was expecting her second child with a black and white image of the Sussexes in February last year, in which Harry could be seen resting his hand on his wife’s head as she lay in his lap.

He also contributed a stunning collection of portraits of Miss Fulani and fellow members of the Sistah Space community in an article for British Vogue last year.

It came as another high-profile campaigner also accused Lady Susan of questioning his heritage.

Guest: Nazir Afzal, the former chief prosecutor in the north of England who helped convict the Rochdale grooming gang, also says he was asked about his heritage by Lady Susan at the reception

Nazir Afzal, the former chief prosecutor in the north of England who helped convict the Rochdale grooming gang, said he was also asked about his ‘heritage’ by Lady Susan at Tuesday’s now infamous royal reception.

Mr Afzal, who has repeatedly received racial abuse including Pakistani slurs during his career, said: ‘She (Lady Susan) only asked me my heritage once and seemed to accept my answer – Manchester currently!

‘Racism is never far away though.’

Wills’ and Kate’s US trip ‘is incredibly important for future of the monarchy’ – our panel discuss another fascinating week of news in our royal talk show

Additional reporting: Ryan Hooper

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