Lady Susan Hussey, GCVO

SUSAN KATHARINE HUSSEY the BARONESS HUSSEY of NORTH BRADLEY

• Lady in Waiting to the late Her Majesty Elizabeth II Queen of the United Kingdom
  
• Godmother to His Royal Highness William The Prince of Wales, Duke of Cambridge

On 30 November 2022, she resigned from the royal household after asking insensitive questions of the chief executive of the charity Sistah Space, Ngozi Fulani, concerning her origins by repeatedly asking where she was 'really' from, during an event on gender-based violence the day before. Buckingham Palace said that "unacceptable and deeply regrettable comments" had been made, and that "the individual concerned would like to express her profound apologies for the hurt caused and has stepped aside".

From Wikipedia:

• The Right Honourable The Lady Hussey of North Bradley GCVO
• Born Susan Katharine Waldegrave on 1 May 1939
• Other names Lady Susan Hussey
• Occupation Woman of the Bedchamber (formerly)
• Spouse Marmaduke Hussey, Baron Hussey of North Bradley ​(m. 1959; died 2006)​
• Children 2
• Father: Geoffrey Waldegrave, 12th Earl Waldegrave
• Brother: James Waldegrave, 13th Earl Waldegrave
• Brother: William Waldegrave, Baron Waldegrave of North Hill
• Awards: Royal Household Long and Faithful Service Medal

Susan Katharine Hussey, Baroness Hussey of North Bradley, GCVO (née Waldegrave; born 1 May 1939), known as Lady Susan Hussey until her husband was raised to the peerage in 1996, is a British noblewoman who served as a Woman of the Bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth II and as a Lady of the Household from September to November 2022 under King Charles III.

Family

Hussey is the fifth and youngest daughter of the 12th Earl Waldegrave, and Mary Hermione Grenfell (1909–1995). She is the sister of the 13th Earl Waldegrave and the Conservative politician William Waldegrave. Her aunt, Dame Frances Campbell-Preston, was lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.

On 25 April 1959 she married Marmaduke Hussey (later Chairman of the Board of Governors of the BBC) and had two children: James Arthur (b. 1961) and Katharine Elizabeth (b. 1964). Her daughter Katharine married Sir Francis Brooke and followed her mother into royal service, as one of the official companions to Queen Camilla.

Royal household

Hussey joined the royal household in 1960, initially helping with royal correspondence, before being promoted to the position of Woman of the Bedchamber, owing to her knowledge of the inner workings of the household. She was a close friend of Queen Elizabeth II, as well as of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, and often spent time at Balmoral Castle.

She is a godmother of William, Prince of Wales, and was chosen to accompany Queen Elizabeth at the funeral of Prince Philip.

With other members of the royal household, Hussey attended the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on 19 September 2022. Following the Queen's death, she was made a Lady of the Household, along with the late Queen's other ladies-in-waiting, and was responsible for assisting at events held at Buckingham Palace.

Racism Scandal

In her role as a Lady of the Household, she attended a reception hosted by Queen Camilla on 29 November 2022 as part of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence. The next day, Hussey resigned from the royal household, following the reporting of a racist conversation between her and Ngozi Fulani, a black British woman and the chief executive of the charity Sistah Space, at the reception. In a post on Twitter, Fulani said that Hussey had questioned her origins by repeatedly asking where she was "really" from. Witnesses of the conversation, such as Mandu Reid, corroborated this account of events.Buckingham Palace said that "unacceptable and deeply regrettable comments" had been made, and that "the individual concerned would like to express her profound apologies for the hurt caused and has stepped aside". Commenting on the racism scandal, a spokesperson for Prince William, her godson, said that "racism has no place in our society". Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated that the country had made "incredible" progress in tackling racism but that it was "never done" and must continue to be addressed.

Honours

Coat of arms
Having previously been made a Dame Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (DCVO), Hussey was promoted to Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) in the 2013 Birthday Honours. She was also awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Version of the Royal Household Long and Faithful Service Medal with 30-, 40-, 50- and 60-year bars.

In September 2015, she received the Sash of Special Category of the Order of the Aztec Eagle.

In popular culture
Hussey is portrayed by Haydn Gwynne in season 5 of The Crown.