Were it not for a woman of loyalty and integrity with strong Christian ethics – Lady Susan Hussey is a regular churchgoer who is dearly loved by her fellow citizens – this would certainly have been a moment of considerable personal satisfaction.
Amidst all the toxic ramblings from Prince Harry’s ITV interview, there was a surprising intervention: he cleared Lady Susan of racism. In late November, the late Queen’s beloved lady-in-waiting found herself at the center of a violent social media storm over comments she allegedly made at a reception at Buckingham Palace.
In the ensuing excitement, Lady Susan resigned from her post after being accused by a guest of racially insulting her.
Not a word passed her lips after she decided to step aside, so it’s a fair bet that Lady Susan, in his interview, that he and Meghan are fans of the 83-year-old earl’s faithful daughter, was just as wordless about Harry’s great gesture will be served his grandmother more than 60 years.
Buckingham Palace declared a reconciliation between Lady Susan Hussey (left) and Ngozi Fulani (right), founder of the charity Sistah Space, who has been repeatedly asked where she is “really” from
Of course, Lady Susan would never bow to the complaint-ridden agenda of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. So how she reacted to this so-called olive branch is a matter of conjecture.
However, it is tempting to wonder why Harry would offer this unforeseen support for Lady Susan when, at the time of their so-called breach five weeks ago, he and his wife were oddly taciturn about the woman he now professes to be ‘superb’.
Many will suspect the reality of the situation has more to do with his war of attrition with his brother than sympathy for an elderly courtier whose offers to help the American-born duchess adjust to life at the palace went unanswered.
Friends tell me Lady Susan was “absolutely devastated” by what happened last month. Pictured: Richard Kay
For it was Prince William, or at least a spokesman on his behalf, who effectively branded Lady Susan – his own godmother – a racist, calling her comments “unacceptable” while declaring it was “right” that she “stepped aside”. be immediate effect’. What an opportunity, then, for Harry to emphasize the rift that has opened up between him and William by doling out such lavish praise for a palace stalwart who had fallen victim to his brother’s seemingly self-important treatment.
Harry purred with self-righteous delight and said how “happy” he was that Ngozi Fulani, the charity worker in the middle of the row, had been invited to the palace last month to sit down with Lady Susan “to reconcile because Meghan and I love Susan Hussey – she thinks they’re amazing. He added, “And I also know what she meant — she never meant anything bad.”
The row that erupted only began after Ms Fulani – British-born and of Caribbean descent – detailed the conversation, in which Lady Susan repeatedly asked her on Twitter where she was “really” from. Her post about the exchange went viral and Lady Susan was out of a job.
However, Harry characteristically chose not to accept that version of events and blamed the press for making the matter public, telling ITV’s Tom Bradby: “The reaction of the British press and people online to the stories that they wrote was . . . absolutely appalling.’ Aside from the prince’s parody of what actually happened, Harry unexpectedly offered Buckingham Palace a chance to do the right thing. Because if the great anti-racist activists of Montecito can defend Susan Hussey, then surely the palace should be big enough to admit that he acted far too hastily and reinstate them.
Lady Susan would never bow to the complaint-ridden agenda of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex
At the time there was considerable murmuring, both within and outside the royal household, that Lady Susan had been treated unfairly, even grotesquely. Their decades of flawless and unpaid service have been ignored.
There was no apparent attempt to decipher Ms Fulani’s account of her conversation with the discreet and unflappable former lady-in-waiting, who is now quite deaf and who had spent her life navigating official receptions at the late Queen’s side around the world. In fact, Lady Susan’s considerable experience – and skill as a trusted family confidant – has prompted her to be invited to continue her role on Queen Consort Camilla.
Colleagues and friends of the veteran Palace operator contacted me to express their anger and shock at the damage done to her reputation. The most repeated comment was that Lady Susan was “thrown under a bus”. Others spoke of “crazy political correctness” and “a massive overreaction”.
Everyone agreed on one thing: the woman who came to help the Queen with her mail bag after the birth of Prince Andrew in 1960 and never left had no racist bone in her body. Where, they wondered, was Hussey shown the due diligence and compassion? “It looked to us like she was being convicted for showing an interest in someone’s background and starting a conversation,” said one senior.
Harry said how “happy” he was that Ngozi Fulani, the charity worker in the middle of the row, had been invited to the palace last month to meet Lady Susan “to make things right”.
“Sue has always been so good with people and put her at ease when most are really nervous about meeting royalty,” one courtier told me. “She has met people of every race and persuasion, and the idea that she would be provocatively racist, as the transcript seemed to suggest, is for the birds.”
She was scrupulously devoted to the monarchy. Once, at a garden party, she was scolded by Prince Philip after he felt she had been talking to me for too long as we were gossiping over cups of tea about a builder we both employed. When I next saw her, she said it had been “cancelled.”
Perhaps the palace’s reaction to their reported conversation was understandable given the toxic atmosphere surrounding the race created by Harry and Meghan. Ever since her explosive claims to Oprah Winfrey in 2021 that an unnamed royal had raised questions about what skin color her son Archie might have as a mixed-race child, the palace has been on high alert over racism allegations.
Perhaps Williams’ intervention, prompted by fears that such a damaging argument would overshadow his and Kate’s upcoming visit to the US, was unwise. But if the Palace has been frightened into swift action, does it not owe Lady Susan a chance to be restored to her position, and with the same promptness?
Friends tell me that Lady Susan was “absolutely devastated” by what happened last month, not least because she was appalled that she had upset the institution she had so staunchly served.
Despite feeling “battered and sore”, she agreed to a palace-orchestrated initiative with Ms Fulani, in which she issued a “sincere apology”. For her part, Ms Fulani, who runs London-based domestic violence charity Sistah Space, said she accepted the apology and accepted that “no malice was intended”.
A photo of the two women’s meeting was also released. Following the apology, it then emerged that Lady Susan had been added to the guest list to attend the King’s coronation in May. Increasingly, the decision to throw the octogenarian into the royal wilderness seemed unjust and unfair.
Luckily, Harry has now removed the last remaining obstacle to allow Lady Susan to return to her role. But will she take it?
When such an invitation comes, I’m sure few would blame her if she’d decided she’d rather not do it anyway.