Elsa Sc S talks about a
recent incident
The controversial royal lady keeps on creating controversies quite often and since it tries its utmost to stay in the headlines therefore any mishap associated with it is also highlighted. The recent controversy caused by the British royal setup pertains to one of the late Queen Elizabeth’s closest companions, Lady Susan Hussey who worked at Buckingham Palace for over 60 years but stepped down suddenly after her racist remarks towards Sistah Space’s Ngozi Fulani caused furore. Interestingly, it is not the first time the now-resigned royal aide has stirred controversy, as she was quoted saying Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s marriage would end in tears. Lady Susan was otherwise described as an overbearing influence within the close confines of Buckingham Palace and her presence evoked fear.
With this latest indiscretion, the British royal family has been thrown into fresh controversy as the racism row has hogged the headlines of the media. It was reported that while welcoming guests to an event for campaigners against domestic violence, hosted by Queen Consort Camilla at Buckingham Palace, Lady Susan repeatedly asked Ngozi Fulani, chief executive of charity Sistah Space where she really came from despite saying she lived in London and was born in the UK. Fulani posted this incident on Twitter resulting in the resignation of Lady Susan from her role as a lady-in-waiting at the palace and apologised for her comments, which have been widely condemned as racist.
In royal parlance, a lady-in-waiting refers to someone who has been hand-picked by the monarch to help and perform personal duties similar to that of an aide. Aside from the title and chores, many of the queen’s ladies-in-waiting also became her friends and confidantes. Lady Susan’s attitudes and conduct naturally risk tarnishing the late queen’s spotless reputation and further drag the royal family into accusations of out-of-sync with times and ingrained prejudice. This impression is quite strongly believed in many circles and the royal family finds it difficult to shake it off.
Lady Susan Hussey had a long record of service with the queen spanning well over six decades. The controversial lady seemed to hold good standing within the royal family based on her years of working at the palace and was known to be the longest-serving lady in waiting and even earned her title of “Woman of the Bedchamber”. She joined the palace in1960, had many roles, from responding to letters to acquainting Princess Diana to the royal lifestyle but was reportedly not liked by the late princess. She was also assigned the role of welcoming prime ministers when they arrived at the palace and was often photographed in the public appearances of the late queen.
Lady Susan hailed from a noble family and is a daughter of the 12th Earl Waldegrave and Mary Hermione, Countess Waldegrave. Her brother, William Waldegrave, is a former Conservative cabinet minister. Her late husband, Marmaduke Hussey was a former chairman of the BBC. Following in her footsteps, one of her two children, Lady Katharine, is currently an official companion to the queen consort Camilla. Lady Susan’s role was typically given to wealthy aristocrats who did not receive salaries but wanted to gain the prestigious title.
In her many decades in service, it is no surprise that the lady had earned a lot of goodwill within the royal family. Lady Susan is a godparent of the Prince of Wales himself, William, and she even attended his confirmation in 1997. She has become close to Prince William and other royal members. As the Woman of the Bedchamber she had also become close to King Charles throughout the years and was recently seen to have been enjoying a race at the Royal Ascot with the king and queen consort. Even after the death of the late queen and her friend, Elizabeth, Lady Susan remained in the palace. King Charles had granted her the role of the King’s Lady of the Household. Queen Consort Camilla recently ended the tradition of having ladies-in-waiting and would instead be assisted by the “queen’s companions”. Unlike their predecessors, the companions are likely to have less publicity and appearances.
The current controversy is not the first Lady Susan has faced as previously she was reported as saying in 2018 that the marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess will end up in tears, a scathing comment by royal standards that provoked widespread consternation. Such remarks have given credibility to the assertions of Meghan Markle that the British royal family did not accept her as one of them because of the colour of her skin though her insinuation evoked a stern rebuke from the late queen Elizabeth. The British heir apparent Prince William has condemned her remarks and his spokesperson has stated that racism has no place in British society. TW
The controversial royal lady
ByElsa Sc S
Doing her graduation from LUMS & a keen researcher
Dated
December 10, 2022
Elsa Sc S talks about a
recent incident
The controversial royal lady keeps on creating controversies quite often and since it tries its utmost to stay in the headlines therefore any mishap associated with it is also highlighted. The recent controversy caused by the British royal setup pertains to one of the late Queen Elizabeth’s closest companions, Lady Susan Hussey who worked at Buckingham Palace for over 60 years but stepped down suddenly after her racist remarks towards Sistah Space’s Ngozi Fulani caused furore. Interestingly, it is not the first time the now-resigned royal aide has stirred controversy, as she was quoted saying Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s marriage would end in tears. Lady Susan was otherwise described as an overbearing influence within the close confines of Buckingham Palace and her presence evoked fear.
With this latest indiscretion, the British royal family has been thrown into fresh controversy as the racism row has hogged the headlines of the media. It was reported that while welcoming guests to an event for campaigners against domestic violence, hosted by Queen Consort Camilla at Buckingham Palace, Lady Susan repeatedly asked Ngozi Fulani, chief executive of charity Sistah Space where she really came from despite saying she lived in London and was born in the UK. Fulani posted this incident on Twitter resulting in the resignation of Lady Susan from her role as a lady-in-waiting at the palace and apologised for her comments, which have been widely condemned as racist.
In royal parlance, a lady-in-waiting refers to someone who has been hand-picked by the monarch to help and perform personal duties similar to that of an aide. Aside from the title and chores, many of the queen’s ladies-in-waiting also became her friends and confidantes. Lady Susan’s attitudes and conduct naturally risk tarnishing the late queen’s spotless reputation and further drag the royal family into accusations of out-of-sync with times and ingrained prejudice. This impression is quite strongly believed in many circles and the royal family finds it difficult to shake it off.
Lady Susan Hussey had a long record of service with the queen spanning well over six decades. The controversial lady seemed to hold good standing within the royal family based on her years of working at the palace and was known to be the longest-serving lady in waiting and even earned her title of “Woman of the Bedchamber”. She joined the palace in1960, had many roles, from responding to letters to acquainting Princess Diana to the royal lifestyle but was reportedly not liked by the late princess. She was also assigned the role of welcoming prime ministers when they arrived at the palace and was often photographed in the public appearances of the late queen.
Lady Susan hailed from a noble family and is a daughter of the 12th Earl Waldegrave and Mary Hermione, Countess Waldegrave. Her brother, William Waldegrave, is a former Conservative cabinet minister. Her late husband, Marmaduke Hussey was a former chairman of the BBC. Following in her footsteps, one of her two children, Lady Katharine, is currently an official companion to the queen consort Camilla. Lady Susan’s role was typically given to wealthy aristocrats who did not receive salaries but wanted to gain the prestigious title.
In her many decades in service, it is no surprise that the lady had earned a lot of goodwill within the royal family. Lady Susan is a godparent of the Prince of Wales himself, William, and she even attended his confirmation in 1997. She has become close to Prince William and other royal members. As the Woman of the Bedchamber she had also become close to King Charles throughout the years and was recently seen to have been enjoying a race at the Royal Ascot with the king and queen consort. Even after the death of the late queen and her friend, Elizabeth, Lady Susan remained in the palace. King Charles had granted her the role of the King’s Lady of the Household. Queen Consort Camilla recently ended the tradition of having ladies-in-waiting and would instead be assisted by the “queen’s companions”. Unlike their predecessors, the companions are likely to have less publicity and appearances.
The current controversy is not the first Lady Susan has faced as previously she was reported as saying in 2018 that the marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess will end up in tears, a scathing comment by royal standards that provoked widespread consternation. Such remarks have given credibility to the assertions of Meghan Markle that the British royal family did not accept her as one of them because of the colour of her skin though her insinuation evoked a stern rebuke from the late queen Elizabeth. The British heir apparent Prince William has condemned her remarks and his spokesperson has stated that racism has no place in British society. TW
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