Prior to November 30th, 2022, Lady Susan Hussey was relatively unknown outside of the royal community.
However, during a banquet hosted by Queen Camilla at the palace for victims of s^xual assault, Hussey's actions became the subject of scrutiny. One of the attendees, Ngozi Fulani, a 61-year-old African domestic violence activist, shared her account of a conversation with Hussey.
According to Fulani, Hussey repeatedly questioned her about her origins, even after she mentioned being from Hackney.
Hussey wanted to know the specific origins of her people and when they arrived. The next morning, at 7:25 a.m., Fulani took to Twitter to share details of their encounter, highlighting what she perceived as racist line of questioning.
Fulani, who heads the Women's Equality Party, described feeling like gate crashers during a radio broadcast, further fueling the fury surrounding the incident. The news spread worldwide, and Fulani's claims of racism directed at Hussey created a significant uproar.
Remarkably, just over five hours later, at 12:32 p.m., Buckingham Palace swiftly released a statement addressing the issue. The palace condemned the comments as disrespectful and unfortunate, without specifically naming Hussey, and announced her stepping down from her position. The promptness of the official response demonstrated the palace's acknowledgment of the sensitivity surrounding racial issues.
Although Hussey's removal resolved the immediate storm, it did not address the deeper-rooted problem. Meghan had previously expressed her dissatisfaction during her time as a working royal, and racial issues within the royal family had been a longstanding concern.
In March 2021, Buckingham Palace faced two significant challenges in quick succession. First, there was an article published in The Times, written by the author, addressing allegations of bullying against the Duchess of Sussex in 2018. The Sussexes vehemently denied the claims, calling it a smear campaign, while the palace chose not to engage in public discussions. However, after the article's publication, the palace expressed concerns and launched an internal investigation through their HR team.
The palace's decision to keep the investigation findings confidential, citing secrecy, raised suspicions among the public. Many believed that the motivation behind this approach was to maintain harmony between Harry and Meghan, rather than being transparent about the outcomes or lessons learned.
The second, more challenging issue for the palace in March 2021 was the highly anticipated Oprah Winfrey interview with Harry and Meghan. In the interview, the couple made a hurtful allegation regarding a comment made by a member of the royal family about the skin tone of their unborn child. Senior officials held conference calls to discuss their response, as the interview had aired in the US on March 7th but was scheduled to air in the UK the following day.
By 2 p.m. on Monday, a draft statement was ready, but the palace chose to remain silent, much to the chagrin of reporters and the public. The delay in response reflected the sensitivity surrounding the allegation, which many found deeply troubling.
These incidents underline the ongoing challenges the palace faces when dealing with racial issues. The swift action taken against Lady Susan Hussey may have resolved one particular case, but the broader problem still persists. Meghan's expressed discontent and the racial concerns within the royal family remind us of the complexities involved in addressing these matters within an institution rooted in tradition.
Stay tuned for more updates on this evolving situation. Situation claimed one of the reasons was that the late Queen was adamant that she was going to watch the program first. She also planned to watch it on ITV on Monday night along with the whole public.
The official answer was the subject of intense talks the next day. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, as they were known at the time, William and Kate, sat side by side on a sofa while they deliberated with their staff on how to respond to the inflammatory accusations made by the Sussexes. The line, "Some recollections may vary," was not yet part of the drafted statement they had at the time, which would later become well known.
According to a source's recollection, it also came in a considerably milder form. The question was whether they should put themselves completely above it and extend the hand of friendship by saying that Harry and Meghan are much-loved members of the family, or if there would come a time when they needed to speak out and share their opinion.
William and Kate were adamant about which side of the argument they were on, even though they were just as worried as anyone about avoiding getting into a tit-for-tat with Harry and Meghan. The source claimed that they wanted the statement toughened up a little. They both agreed that they needed something to indicate that much of what had been said had been rejected by the institution. The source remarked, "It's absolutely vital that you guys figure out the appropriate approach to make sure we're saying this doesn't stand," and Kate was unquestionably right there with him.
While some have credited Alerton with writing the account, more than one source has claimed that Jean-Christophe Gray, William's new private secretary, who had been in charge for less than three weeks, really wrote it. Its inclusion was opposed by at least two senior members of other houses who were worried that it might enrage Harry and Meghan.
However, once the phrase had been included in the draft, the Duchess of Cambridge reportedly spearheaded the case for its retention. She believed that history would evaluate this statement, and unless this sentence or a term like it is included, everything that they have stated will be accepted as true. Kate put the point very plainly.
The insider claimed that this was just another illustration of Kate's tendency to be much tougher than she seems due to her subtlety. She does not receive the credit she deserves. She is using a long-term strategy. She has always had her sights set on becoming the queen one day because, in her words, "This is my life and my historic path."
After a few hours, Buckingham Palace received word that the toughened-up draft had been approved, and the queen had acknowledged it. The final four-sentence statement was made public on Tuesday, just before 5:30 p.m. It read, "The entire family is heartbreaking to learn just how difficult Harry and Meghan's previous few years have been.
The concerns brought up, especially the ones involving race, are troubling. While some accounts may differ, the family takes them very seriously and will address them in private. Family members Harry, Meghan, and Archie will always be adored."
The comment was significant for two other reasons, in addition to Gray's catchphrase. One was that it referred to Harry and Meghan informally and warmly, rather than as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The other was that it dared to address the racial issue. A few days later, Prince William confronted the subject head-on by telling a television interviewer, "We are very much not a racist family."
