Royal racism row: who is Lady Susan Hussey, Queen Elizabeth’s controversial lady-in-waiting and Prince William’s godmother – who once said Harry’s marriage to Meghan Markle would ‘end in tears’
Lady Susan Hussey, one of the late Queen Elizabeth’s ladies-in-waiting, has resigned – but her sudden departure wasn’t an amicable one.
The British royal family has been thrown into fresh controversy, with Hussey the latest figure to be embroiled in a racism row after welcoming guests to an event for campaigners against domestic violence, hosted by Queen Consort Camilla at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday. Ngozi Fulani, chief executive of charity Sistah Space, later posted on Twitter how she was repeatedly asked by Hussey where she “really” came from, despite saying she lived in London and was born in the UK.
Hussey has since stepped down from her role as a lady-in-waiting at the palace and apologised for her comments, which have been widely condemned as racist.
So, who is 83-year-old Lady Susan Hussey, and what role did she play in the palace?
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She served the queen for over 60 years
The controversial lady seemed to hold good standing within the royal family based on her years of working at the palace. BBC reports that she was the longest-serving lady in waiting and even earned her title of “Woman of the Bedchamber”.
She comes from a noble family
The lady-in-waiting hails from a noble family as a daughter of the 12th Earl Waldegrave and Mary Hermione, Countess Waldegrave. Her brother, William Waldegrave, is a former Conservative cabinet minister.
Her late husband, Marmaduke Hussey was a former chairman of the BBC. Following in her footsteps, one of her two children, Lady Katharine, is currently an official companion to the queen consort Camilla, reports W Magazine.
Lady Susan’s role was typically given to wealthy aristocrats who did not receive salaries but wanted to gain the prestigious title.
She’s become close to Prince William and other royal members
In her many decades in service, it is no surprise that the lady had earned a lot of goodwill within the royal family. Lady Susan is a godparent of the Prince of Wales himself, William, and she even attended his confirmation in 1997, per ITV.
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She stayed on even after the queen’s death
Even after the death of the late queen and her friend, Elizabeth, Lady Susan remained in the palace. According to Yahoo!, King Charles had granted her the role of the King’s Lady of the Household.
Queen Consort Camilla recently ended the tradition of having ladies-in-waiting and would instead be assisted by the “queen’s companions”. Unlike their predecessors, the companions are likely to have less publicity and appearances, per Harper’s Bazaar.
It’s far from her first controversy
In a similar fashion to how she was once assigned to Princess Diana, it was reported that Lady Susan had made visits to then Meghan Markle to help her adjust to the royal lifestyle.
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The now-former lady-in-waiting had decided to step down once her recent comments had made their rounds on social media. Next-in-line Prince William condemned her remarks, with a spokesperson saying, “racism has no place in our society”.
- One of Queen Elizabeth’s closest companions, Hussey worked at Buckingham Palace for over 60 years – but stepped down suddenly after ‘racist’ remarks towards Sistah Space’s Ngozi Fulani
- It’s not the first time the now-resigned royal aide has stirred controversy, as she was quoted saying Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s marriage would ‘end in tears’