- Lady Susan Hussey, a high-ranking Buckingham Palace aide, is the godmother of Prince William
- She stepped down from her post on Nov. 30, 2022 after she was accused of racist behavior by Ngozi Fulani, who was visiting the Palace as a leader of a non-profit
- Reps for Prince William said the Prince of Wales was ‘really disappointed.’
The godmother of Prince William resigned after she was accused of racist behavior by a Buckingham Palace guest. Lady Susan Hussey, a high-ranking Palace aide, stepped down from her royal duties on Nov. 30, 2022, according to TMZ. The decision came after Ngozi Fulani, a British leader of a non-profit, posted an alleged interaction between herself and Lady Susan on Twitter, where it appears Lady Susan was questioning Ngozi’s heritage. Keep reading for more information on Lady Susan, below.
Lady Susan was dubbed ‘Number One Head Girl’
Lady Susan Hussey, 87, has been part of the royal household in an unpaid role since 1960, according to The Washington Post. She has been responsible in helping those who marry into the family navigate royal life. She was also a confidante of the late Queen Elizabeth II, even accompanying her to the funeral of her husband, Prince Phillip in 2021. Her loyalty has given her the name “Number One Head Girl,” per the news source.
She was named Prince William’s godmother
Lady Susan undoubtedly interacted with the late Princess Diana, as she was responsible for new royal members marrying into the royal family. When Diana and King Charles III’s first child, Prince William, was born in 1982 they named Lady Susan as his godmother.
Lady Susan is featured as a character in ‘The Crown’
In the latest season of The Crown on Netflix, the character of Lady Susan is given a small role. She is featured as a friend of the Queen and a voice of reason to her husband, Marmaduke Hussey, a chairman of the BBC board of governors.
She was accused of racist comments at a Palace fundraiser
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
Ngozi Fulani, a British activist and chief executive of domestic abuse charity Sistah Space, accused Lady Susan of racism after sharing her account of a word-for-word exchange they had at Buckingham Palace on Nov. 29, 2022. Ngozi shared that Lady Susan badgered her with a series of questions about where she was from, including: “What part of Africa are you from?” “What Nationality are you?” “Where do you really come from?” “Where do your people come from?” and “When did you first come here?”
Mandu Reid, leader of the Women’s Equality Party, witnessed the exchange and said it felt like “an interrogation,” per The Washington Post. “We were guests, we’d been invited to a really important reception on a really important subject. We were there to celebrate efforts to end violence against women and girls,” she told the outlet. “And by the end of that interaction, it was almost like we were trespassers, we didn’t belong. I mean, our nationality being questioned? It was hard to take.”
Prince William responded to his godmother’s incident
William said through a spokesperson that he was “disappointed to hear about the guest’s experience at Buckingham Palace.” The spokesperson added, “Racism has no place in our society. The comments were unacceptable, and it is right that the individual has stepped aside with immediate effect.”