Lady Susan Hussey offers to meet campaigner to apologise for asking her: 'What part of Africa are you from?'
2 December 2022, 09:45
Prince William’s godmother has offered to personally meet with Ngoni Fulani , the charity boss who accused her of a racially charged ‘interrogation’.
Lady Susan, former lady-in-waiting to the late Queen, has reiterated her wish for a meeting so that she can apologise personally.
Palace officials say they have reached out through a number of channels to try and facilitate the meeting and to express their ‘profound’ regret for the ‘unacceptable’ comments.
Ms Fulani has not yet responded to requests from the Palace.
This caller is fuming at people calling Ngozi Fulani's experience a 'violation'.
Ms Fulani, founder of the charity Sistah Space, expressed shock at her treatment by the late Queen's lady in waiting, describing it to LBC as an “interrogation”, but said she had yet to be contacted by Buckingham Palace to discuss the incident.
Lady Susan, the Prince of Wales's 83-year-old godmother, resigned from the household and apologised after she repeatedly challenged Ms Fulani when she said she was British at the Queen Consort's reception highlighting violence against women and girls.
Ms Fulani told ITV's Good Morning Britain: "Although I didn't experience physical violence, what I feel I experienced was a form of abuse."
Pressed on whether the Palace had contacted her via her organisation, Ms Fulani said: "No. I don't know where this has come from, but I'm telling you categorically - we have not heard from the Palace."
Describing how Lady Susan also touched her hair during the incident, she said: "I was stood next to two other women - black women - and she (Lady Susan) just made a beeline for me, and she took my locks and moved it out of the way so that she could see my name badge.
"That's a no-no. I wouldn't put my hands in someone's hair, and culturally it's not appropriate."
Ms Fulani said the comments were down to racism, not Lady Susan's age.
Asked how she felt about Lady Susan's resignation, she said: "I want the focus to remain where it should be, which is on the women and girls who are affected by domestic abuse.
"Having said that, she's influenced by Buckingham Palace, and it's their decision and her decision to make, one that I had no part in."
William, who is on a trip to Boston in the US with the Princess of Wales, backed the decision of his godmother to resign as a Lady of the Household.
A Kensington Palace spokesman issued a strong statement, 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."
The Palace moved swiftly to respond to Ms Fulani's tweets on Wednesday morning, saying it took the incident at Tuesday's reception "extremely seriously" and had investigated immediately.
It added, not naming Lady Susan, that the individual concerned had resigned and apologised and that the comments were "unacceptable and deeply regrettable".
The King, who acceded to the throne less than three months ago, and Camilla have been made aware of the situation, the Palace said.
