William’s US trip faces ‘disaster’ over ‘racist’ comments from godmother

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When Prince William arrived in Boston on Wednesday, as part of his effort to show a new and modern version of the British royal family, he faced a public relations emergency at home involving racist comments made by a royal assistant at a reception at Buckingham Palace the previous day.

It didn’t help that the comments were made by Lady Susan Hussey, William’s 83-year-old godmother, or that they played into the narrative hyped up by critics of the monarchy – including the brother of William, Prince Harry, and sister-in-law Meghan Markle. – who see it as an outdated institution that still bears traces of its racist and colonial past.

Britain’s Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (2nd R), Sophie, Countess of Wessex (2nd L), Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence (L) and lady-in-waiting Lady Susan Hussey (R) attend the Remembrance Sunday service in Whitehall, central London, on November 11, 2012. (CARL COURT/AFP via Getty Images

London-based PR expert Mark Borkowski agreed that Hussey’s comments had created a PR “disaster” for the Royal Family, “particularly at the start of William and Kate’s American journey which will be dominated by a new racist argument”. Borkowski told the Daily Mail: “They’re flying in a perfect storm.”

Before a plane carrying William and his wife, Kate Middleton, landed in Boston, marking the couple’s first major trip to the United States in eight years, the new Prince of Wales had to address Hussey’s ‘unacceptable’ comments to Ngozi Fulani, a black, London-based domestic violence activist, People reported.

A spokesperson for the Prince and Princess of Wales said: ‘Racism has no place in our society. These comments were unacceptable and it is right that the individual stepped down with immediate effect.

The spokesperson was referring to Buckingham Palace’s announcement that Hussey had pulled out of her new job in the household of King Charles III after being involved in what was called a ‘shocking exchange’ with Fulani , at a reception at Buckingham Palace hosted by Camilla, the Queen Consort.

According to the Fulani account of the exchange, Hussey repeatedly questioned her about her real origin, even after telling her that she was born in the UK and was British.

Hussey was known as the Queen’s first chief daughter, having been part of her entourage since the birth of Prince Andrew in 1960, Tatler reported. She had accompanied the late monarch to Prince Philip’s funeral, served as godmother to Williams and was asked by the Queen to help introduce Meghan to the expectations of royal life ahead of her marriage to Prince Harry in 2018. According to the author royal Tom Bower, Hussey also predicted a tumultuous future for Meghan and Harry. It will end in tears. Mark my words, she reportedly said.

This incident of racial insensitivity by a longtime royal aide comes at a delicate time for the Royal Family and threatens to overshadow William and Kate’s three-day trip to Boston. The couple came to the United States, reportedly to present the Earthshot Prize, an annual environmental prize awarded by the Royal Foundation, an organization founded by William to help entrepreneurs find solutions to climate change and environmental problems. William and Kate will be joined Friday night by the late president’s daughter, Caroline Kennedy, at the star-studded Earthshot Award ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library.

The New York Times said the trip was ‘weighted with added significance’ as the couple tried to help the Royal Family ‘rebrand itself as a modern monarchy’, following the Queen’s death in September and fleeing Harry and Meghan’s acrimonious royal life to California in 2020.

William and Kate face added pressure to make their trip to Boston go smoothly, as Harry and Meghan are set to be honored next week in New York by another branch of the Kennedy family for taking a heroic stand against structural racism. in the monarchy.

Kerry Kennedy, president of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, a non-profit organization named in honor of her late father, said in an interview earlier this month that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would receive the award. annual Ripple of Hope nonprofits at a gala in New York because they had the courage to challenge the power structure of the royal family.

Kerry Kennedy didn’t elaborate on how she thinks Harry and Meghan took this heroic stance, but she could point to the hit March 2021 couples interview with Oprah Winfrey. It was then that they made the incendiary allegation that a member of the royal family had asked about the skin color of their future children.

Since that interview, royal watchers have tried to identify the so-called racist royal. Immediately after the interview, William angrily responded to his brother and sister-in-law’s allegations: Were really not a racist family.

But with Hussey’s alleged remarks, the Royal Family finds itself embroiled in yet another racial controversy, as it also faces lingering concerns over Buckingham Palace’s failure to diversify its workforce.

Hussey allegedly approached Fulani and asked her about her racial heritage after being at the reception for just 10 minutes, Fulani said. Fulani runs the nonprofit Sistah Space, an organization that provides support to black women who are victims of sexual abuse and domestic violence. Camilla’s reception for some 300 people was to highlight her efforts to address domestic violence and violence against women and girls.

As Fulani pointed out on Twitter, she said Hussey parted her hair to see her name badge. Where do you come from? Fulani said he was asked. When Fulani said she was from Sistah Space, the aide said: No, where are you from?

Fulani said he replied that the organization was based in northeast London. No, Hussey would have replied, what part of Africa are you from? Fulani explained that she was born in the UK and was British, but the assistant continued to insist: No, but where are you really from, where are your people from?

After Mulani said she was a British national and her parents came to the UK in the 1950s, the aide said: Oh I knew we’d make it in the end, you’re from the Caribbean! The Fulani replied: No madam, I am of African descent, of Caribbean descent and of British nationality.

In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: “We take this incident very seriously and have immediately investigated to establish full details.

The palace also called the comments unacceptable and deeply regrettable, and said it had contacted Fulani to invite him to discuss his experience and noted that the person concerned wished to express his deep apologies for the harm caused.

The palace further confirmed that Hussey has stepped down from her post in the royal household and that all royal staff members are reminded of the diversity and inclusiveness policies they are required to adhere to at all times. .

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