All’s well that ends well. Lady Susan Hussey has apologized to charity boss Ngozi Fulani for asking her where she is from at a reception at Buckingham Palace and the pair were pictured together, Lady Susan beaming with appropriate enthusiasm at Ms Fulani, the latter smiling graciously at the camera .
They will now focus on rebuilding their lives in peace after the “disturbing” past few weeks, the palace said.
In Ms Fulani’s case, that means returning to work at her domestic violence charity, Sistah Space, which provides shelter and support to women and girls of African descent, and recovering from the “tide of abuse” the Palace said she was subjected to on social media.
For Lady Susan, she must come to terms with losing a role she has faithfully fulfilled for six decades, and overcome the stigma and personal hardship of being unfairly branded a racist by her own godson, Prince William.
All’s well that ends well. Lady Susan Hussey has apologized to charity boss Ngozi Fulani for asking her where she was from at a reception at Buckingham Palace and the two have been pictured together
They will now focus on rebuilding their lives in peace after the “disturbing” past few weeks, the palace said
Luckily she’s too old to be on social media because if she had been she sure would have been abused like Ms Fulani, if not worse. Next to pedophilia, there is nothing worse than racism.
The Prince of Wales rarely makes a mistake, but his treatment of his godmother when this whole thing first blew up a few weeks ago was disappointing to say the least.
In any case, express your regret and concern that Mrs Fulani was offended by what Lady Susan said to her and the way in which she said it, but by issuing a statement stating it said, “Racism has no place in our society,” effectively condemning her directly from this heinous crime. As her godson, however, he would have known that was highly unlikely. He would have known that she is a regular worshiper at a church in Southwark, where the congregation is 90 percent black and where Lady Susan is a much-loved member of the congregation, described by a (black) member as “a beautiful, beautiful.” Woman’.
He would also have known that Lady Susan is quite hard of hearing at her age (83) and therefore might struggle in a very crowded room with many people talking loudly to each other, which is why she keeps asking Ms. Fulani the same question as it older deaf people do.
He might also have guessed that Lady Susan, upon encountering someone wearing what appeared to be a national dress and presumably a veteran of numerous diplomatic events attended by foreign dignitaries from various Commonwealth countries, was Mrs Susan such a person might have mistaken for one, in which case asking about their origin would have been no more than a necessary courtesy.
In Ms Fulani’s case, it means returning to the work of her domestic violence charity, Sistah Space, which provides shelter and support to women and girls of African descent
The Prince of Wales rarely makes a mistake, but his treatment of his godmother when this whole thing first blew up a few weeks ago was disappointing to say the least
But no. Afraid of being tarred by association, and no doubt terrified by his own brother’s allegations of institutionalized prejudice within the royal family, Prince William not only got carried away by the crowd roaring for his godmother’s blood, but also contributed to hers slander at.
Instead of saying, as he could very easily have done, that he was surprised and regretted to hear of Ms Fulani’s ordeal, but that knowing Lady Susan, as he had done all his life, it was unthinkable that she should have been intentionally racist, or words to With that effect he threw her to the wolves.
Which also demonstrates a certain lack of character, but when you think about it, it’s a bit ironic. Thanks to the ongoing efforts of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince William of all people should know exactly how it feels to be publicly accused of something as grotesque as racism when the whole world is questioning his moral integrity.
And when someone like him, with all his influence and privilege, can’t find the courage to stand up for his godmother, that’s very worrying. Really very worrying.
But even more worrying is the statement the palace issued last week following Lady Susan and Ms Fulani’s joyful reconciliation.
Specifically this line: “Lady Susan has pledged to increase her awareness of the sensitivities involved and is grateful for the opportunity to learn more about the issues in this area.”
I don’t know about you, but I can’t help feeling that there’s something pretty frightening about that statement. Something slightly reminiscent of the kind of sinister language used by totalitarian regimes like Maoist China, a subtle but clear expression of intolerance towards anyone or anything that deviates from the accepted political (in this case politically correct) narrative.
This, of course, is also an idea that exists at the heart of extreme rousing, the kind now endemic to many American universities and slowly but surely catching on in Britain as well.
In any case, please express your regret and concern that Mrs Fulani was offended by what Lady Susan said to her and the way she said it
The notion that while a person might believe they are not racist, not transphobic and so on, and even if their actions and behavior would suggest it, the circumstances of their existence – too white, also too middle-class educated, too male , too old, too wealthy etc. – make something like that materially impossible.
And that if you refuse to admit your own biases, you need immediate ridding of that misunderstanding.
It is precisely this concept of “re-education” that is at the heart of the Palace’s statement, the idea that Lady Susan willingly agreed to undergo a self-examination to fully grasp the extent of her own failure, and humbled is grateful for the opportunity. How will this “opportunity” present itself, one wonders? At the age of 83, how will Lady Susan learn to think and behave correctly in the tried and tested way of the modern working world?
Is there somewhere deep in the bowels of Buckingham Palace a newly refurbished Room 101 where bewildered courtiers are being persuaded by whatever means to admit to thoughts and actions they have never thought of? At what point are we all brought to express our gratitude for sparing ourselves the trouble of having to think for ourselves? When we learn to accept that 2+2=5 when the right person says it is?
The palace is also at pains to stress that Lady Susan “chosen to step aside” – another slightly Orwellian expression – and was not fired. But of course she did. She would have been horrified at the prospect of doing any harm to the institution she has served all her life. And she’s not of the generation I’ll get my lawyer for you.
And that perhaps gets to the heart of the problem. Being a victim is big business these days. Just ask Harry and Meghan, who managed to turn their poor little selves into a full-time career, and a lucrative one at that. Every misjudgment, every mistake, every misunderstanding – they bear no responsibility for that, because they are only helpless victims of prejudice and envy of others.
When in doubt, be a victim, that’s the mantra of the modern world. Your parents, your employer, your siblings, some poor old woman who got the wrong end of the stick…
Resilience, steadfastness, loyalty and common sense: you belong to another time. The revolution is here, and you’d better stick to the program — or face a long and harrowing march to your newfound “freedom.”