Prince William’s office said “racism has no place in our society” as he sought to prevent backlash over his godmother’s treatment of a black advocate for domestic abuse survivors from overshadowing his trip to the United States.
Lady Susan Hussey, 83, stepped down as an honorary member of the royal household on Wednesday after the chief executive of an east London women’s shelter said Hussey repeatedly asked her where she “really came from” after she told him told the old woman that she was British.
The exchange took place at a reception at Buckingham Palace for those working to end domestic violence.
“Racism has no place in our society,” his Kensington Palace office said. “These comments were unacceptable, and it is right that the individual has stepped aside with immediate effect.” The incident reignited allegations of “institutional racism” at the palace on the first day of the Prince and Princess of Wales’s visit to Boston. While the trip focuses on the Earthshot Prize, William’s initiative to support entrepreneurs working on solutions to climate change and other environmental problems, the royal couple is also trying to show that the monarchy is still relevant in a multicultural world. .
The episode is a reminder of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex’s comments last year in an interview with American television presenter Oprah Winfrey.
Meghan, a biracial American married to William’s brother, has alleged that a member of the royal family asked her about the color of her baby’s skin when she was pregnant with her first child.
The latest incident took place on Tuesday at a reception hosted by Camilla, the Queen Consort, for women working to combat domestic violence.
Ngozi Fulani, chief executive of Sistah Space, an east London shelter that provides specialist support for women of African and Caribbean descent, detailed her exchange with a member of the royal household in a lengthy Twitter post.
Fulani said that when he told the woman he was from East London, she replied: “No, what part of Africa are YOU from?” The questioner has since been identified as Hussey, who served as a lady-in-waiting to the late Queen Elizabeth II for more than 60 years and is one of William’s godmothers.
He apologized for “unacceptable and deeply regrettable comments,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement.
But the incident comes at a big time for the royal couple: their first trip abroad in eight years and their first since they became Prince and Princess of Wales after the queen’s death.
The highlight of the three-day visit to Boston will come Friday, when William will host the Earthshot Prize ceremony, headlined by the likes of Billie Eilish.
But the trip will also include visits to an anti-poverty program, child development researchers and local flood defenses, demonstrating the couple’s commitment to important issues facing the modern world.
The visit comes less than three months after the death of Elizabeth, whose personal popularity dampened criticism of the crown during her 70-year reign.
King Carlos III, Guillermo’s father, has made it clear that his will be a reduced monarchy, with less pomp and ceremony than its predecessors.
William and Kate arrived at Boston Logan International Airport on Wednesday, where they were greeted by Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker and Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito. Later, the pair attend a Boston Celtics basketball game.
Upon landing, William thanked local residents “for the many tributes they paid to the late Queen,” noting that his grandmother remembered his 1976 bicentennial visit to Boston “with great fondness.”
