Prince William's godmother resigns amid racism row
Prince William's godmother and Queen Elizabeth's lady-in-waiting has resigned from her royal position after making "unacceptable comments" towards a black guest at Buckingham Palace.
The incident reportedly took place earlier this week, when Camilla, Queen Consort was joined by Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, Queen Mathilde of Belgium and Queen Rania of Jordan at an event to highlight domestic violence survivors and charities.
Ngozi Fulani, chief executive of Sistah Space, was invited to the afternoon reception at the palace through Safe Lives, a charity the Queen Consort is patron of.
The next day, Fulani took to social media where she detailed an exchange with Lady Susan Hussey, saying the woman repeatedly asked where she was "really from", saying "this event remains a blur after the violation".
Mixed feelings about yesterday's visit to Buckingham Palace. 10 mins after arriving, a member of staff, Lady SH, approached me, moved my hair to see my name badge. The conversation below took place. The rest of the event is a blur.
Thanks @ManduReid & @SuzanneEJacob for support🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/OUbQKlabyq
— Sistah Space (@Sistah_Space) November 30, 2022
The palace released a statement saying it took the matter "extremely seriously", labelling it "unacceptable" and confirming the staff member had stepped aside.
"In this instance, unacceptable and deeply regrettable comments have been made," a statement from Buckingham Palace on Wednesday afternoon (Thursday morning AEDT) said.
"We have reached out to Ngozi Fulani on this matter, and are inviting her to discuss all elements of her experience in person if she wishes."
"In the meantime, the individual concerned would like to express her profound apologies for the hurt caused and has stepped aside from her honorary role with immediate effect."
Prince William's spokesperson almost made a statement to the BBC, saying "Racism has no place in our society."
"The comments were unacceptable, and it is right that the individual has stepped aside with immediate effect," they said.
As the Palace claims it has reached out to Fulani, she told London radio station LBC and UK newspaper The Independent she hadn't heard from Buckingham Palace yet.
Hussey, who served as Queen Elizabeth's lady-in-waiting for over 60 years was given a role in the royal household by King Charles after his mother's death.
Image credits: Getty Images