Buckingham Palace Aide resigns

I’m sorry the aide felt the need to resign, after an incident which surely has been blown out of all proportion.
All the other woman had to say when questioned was something like, “well I was born here in London but my parents came here from Africa in the 1950s.”

I remember on a ward round someone asking where an Asian doctor was born and he answered, very dryly "Barnet General" and we all smiled.

JenniferEccles

I’m sorry the aide felt the need to resign, after an incident which surely has been blown out of all proportion.
All the other woman had to say when questioned was something like, “well I was born here in London but my parents came here from Africa in the 1950s.”

Victim blaming

I have a friend in her 80s who makes inappropriate comments, she always has and doesn’t know what she is saying wrong. I usually say that is a homophobic or racist comment.

I’m not excusing her, it is ingrained.

I’m sorry this long-serving aide felt the need to resign after a incident which surely has been blown out of all proportion.

I’m sure the aide has asked the same innocent question on numerous other occasions over the years, a friendly enough enquiry surely to get the conversation going.
All the other woman had to reply was something like. “Well I was born here in London but my parents came here from Africa in the 1950s.”
That was all the aide was trying to find out, and then the conversation would have moved on.
A complete fuss about nothing.

If we must have this sort of thing it's time for companions, ladies of the bedchamber, whatever, were selected from a wider base.

There must be many older women from a Commonwealth background who could do the job.

Diversity is sadly lacking.

JenniferEccles

I’m sorry the aide felt the need to resign, after an incident which surely has been blown out of all proportion.
All the other woman had to say when questioned was something like, “well I was born here in London but my parents came here from Africa in the 1950s.”

Honestly JE, if you read what Hussey said, it definitely wasn’t blown out of proportion.
It was horrible

It’s time to retire the old ladies of the late Queen’s household who have probably never had any real changes made to their way of doing things.

New tricks and old dogs spring to mind although I hesitate before calling anyone an old dog.

You get what I mean though?

Yes, merlotgran

I'm not sure what her function was apart from being an old retainer.

I don’t know why my post appeared twice.

‘Victim’ ? Really? You believe the charity worker is a victim because the palace aide was politely enquiring where her family was originally from?

Heaven help us.

This women is only 7 years older than me. Older people do not all have racist attitudes or ask unacceptable questions. Most of us are capable of understanding how things have changed and if we do make mistakes many of us have children who will put us right. The fact that this woman didn't realise and was prepared to be so racist just proves that she has existed in an atmosphere where such comments are not dealt with. Perhaps the Firm need some real diversity training.

Oh, dear JenniferEccles

Ngosi did say that. And more. And still the questions flowed. And flowed.

Nothing about what the function was for, by the way.

And, believe me, we DO get pissed off with 'dealing with it well' . . . keeping a dignified stance . . .

JenniferEccles

I don’t know why my post appeared twice.

‘Victim’ ? Really? You believe the charity worker is a victim because the palace aide was politely enquiring where her family was originally from?

Heaven help us.

She wasn't polite, and the woman was from Hackney.

The aide got her answer but persevered in her objectionable questioning. The woman is under no obligation to tell anybody where her ancestors were from. Is that the sort of thing we routinely ask (white) people we've just met? Why would it matter?

JenniferEccles

I don’t know why my post appeared twice.

‘Victim’ ? Really? You believe the charity worker is a victim because the palace aide was politely enquiring where her family was originally from?

Heaven help us.

OMG correction some of us understand how things have changed!

My m.i.l. was racist, and it had nothing to do with the atmosphere she lived in not dealing with her comments. They were dealt with on a regular basis by her children and GC, but she still persisted.

An upsetting experience for the lady concerned and the one responsible has resigned. No need to suggest that it would have been acceptable to members of the RF.

Is that the sort of thing we routinely ask (white) people we've just met? Why would it matter?

That's an interesting question.

One might if one was in Australia, people always seem eager to ask about people's origins.

Jennifer Eccles, I totally agree with you.
Totally unnecessary to post this conversation on twitter.

I'm with you JenniferEccles. A deaf old lady struggling to keep her end up socially in a noisy environment and getting it wrong. She'll be devastated at how her long term involvement with the Royal family is ended.
Meanwhile, a fine profile boost for her 'victim'.

Jennifereccles why the heck should she give her blooming family tree history she told her where she was from and who she was representing what more did she need to say ?
If asked would you say well I m Jennifer Eccles from London but I was born in Norfolk and my parents were actually from the midlands well mum came from Leicestershire and dad was a bit further down in Cambridgeshire of course you wouldn’t you’d say “I m Jennifer Eccles from London representing Gransnet” end of

I hadn't thought of it like that Aveline but you're absolutely right. If it hadn't been made public, this old lady who'd given a life time of service to the RF could have quietly resigned and no one would have been the wiser.

A good post.

It’s entirely possible Lady SH didn’t realise her conversation could be construed as racist. I can imagine her being equally rude to members of the working classes. Whatever there is no place in modern society for her condescending and overbearing treatment of a black British lady who was very restrained and polite. She had to go.

Agree Aveline

I don't think the Queen would have said anything like that and she was older than Susan Hussey.

Smileless2012

I hadn't thought of it like that Aveline but you're absolutely right. If it hadn't been made public, this old lady who'd given a life time of service to the RF could have quietly resigned and no one would have been the wiser.

A good post.

...and we would never have known how there are racists in the hierarchy of the Palace.

😊

Sorry JenniferEccles but I really do feel that Ngozi Fulani was a victim here. She was supposed to be one, I assume, of several who were being celebrated for her work. Susan Hussey didn't actually ask innocently where Ms Fulani was from, she just assumed that she was from Africa, even though she was British-born and her parents had been living here for over 60 years.

Susan Hussey would not, I'm sure, have asked the question of a white person with a British accent. It's a coded way of saying "you are not one of us". To have asked the question once might have been forgivable for somebody of her age (who will have grown up with the idea of many African and other people being "British" – at least until 1948 when some of them started wanting to use their British rights to come here, and the rules had to be hurriedly changed.