The spokesperson of the British royal family has expressed deep regrets over racial comments made by one member of the royal family’s household to a woman who attended the grand reception hosted by King Charles’s wife Camilla, the queen consort, on Tuesday November 29, at Buckingham palace.
According to the statement made by the spokesperson on Wednesday, November 30, the royal aide who made the racist comment has since left her role after making “unacceptable and deeply regrettable” comments about race and nationality.
The guest, Ngozi Fulani, who was born in Britain and works for a domestic abuse support group, tweeted that few minutes after her arrival at the British palace, the royal aide repeatedly asked her: “What part of Africa are you from?” and it gave her anxiety. She wrote that the experience gave her a “mixed feeling” which made the “rest of the event a blur.”
The incident happened at the ‘Violence Against Women And Girls’ reception in the palace and had guests like Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska, Belgium’s Queen Mathilde and Jordan’s Queen Rania in attendance.
Reacting to the tweet, the spokesperson in a statement said the incident is unacceptable and deeply regretted.
“We take this incident extremely seriously and have investigated immediately to establish the full details. In this instance, unacceptable and deeply regrettable comments have been made.”
The spokesperson further stated that attempts are being made to ameliorate the situation which has since sparked diverse reactions on Twitter.
“We have reached out to Ngozi Fulani on this matter, and are inviting her to discuss all elements of her experience in person if she wishes.
“All members of the Household are being reminded of the diversity and inclusivity policies which they are required to uphold at all times.”
According to the Reuters, the spokesperson also said the individual concerned wanted to apologise for the hurt caused and had stepped aside from her honorary role with immediate effect.
However, neither Fulani nor the palace identified the aide in question, with the spokesperson saying the individual would not be offering any comment.
Although, reports have it that British media has identified the aide as Lady Susan Hussey, 83-year-old godmother of Charles’s son and heir Prince William, but it has not been affirmed by the royal family.
Recall that this is not the first time an incident of this nature is being recorded in the British royal household. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan had accused an unnamed member of the family of asking her before their son, Archie, was born, how dark his skin might be.
This incident has since become a trending topic on Twitter, with many comments about the effect of racism on the United Kingdom’s system.
Credit: reuters//twitter