Rishi Sunak has said that racism must be “confronted” after a Black domestic abuse campaigner was asked where she “really came from” at a Buckingham Palace reception.
Ngozi Fulani, founder of the charity Sistah Space, has accused the royal family of institutional racism after the incident involving the late Queen’s lady in waiting, Lady Susan Hussey.
On Thursday, the prime minister declined to comment when asked if Buckingham Palace is indeed institutionally racist.
“As we’ve all seen, they’ve acknowledged what’s happened and made an apology for it,” he said.
But the PM added that it was right to “confront” racism.
Speaking to broadcasters in Downing Street, he said: “As I’ve talked about in the past, I have experienced racism in my life.
“But what I am pleased to say is some of the things that I experienced when I was a kid and a young person I don’t think would happen today because our country has made incredible progress in tackling racism.
“But the job is never done. And that’s why whenever we see it we must confront it.”
Lady Susan, the Prince of Wales’s 83-year-old godmother, resigned from the household and apologised after she repeatedly challenged Fulani when she said she was British at the Queen Consort’s reception highlighting violence against women and girls.
Describing how Lady Susan also touched her hair during the incident, Fulani told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “I was stood next to two other women – black women – and she (Lady Susan) just made a beeline for me, and she took my locks and moved it out of the way so that she could see my name badge.
“That’s a no-no. I wouldn’t put my hands in someone’s hair, and culturally it’s not appropriate.”
Fulani said the comments were down to racism, not Lady Susan’s age.
“I’ve heard so many suggestions it’s about her age and stuff like that. And I think that’s a kind of a disrespect about ageism,” she said on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
“Are we saying that because of your age you can’t be racist or you can’t be inappropriate?
“If you invite people to an event, as I said, against domestic abuse, and there are people there from different demographics, I don’t see the relevance of whether I’m British or not British. You’re trying to make me unwelcome in my own space.”
Fulani said she wanted the focus to remain on domestic abuse survivors rather than the race row.
William, who is on a trip to Boston in the US with the Princess of Wales, backed the decision of his godmother to resign as a Lady of the Household.
The Palace moved swiftly to respond to Fulani’s tweets on Wednesday morning, saying it took the incident at Tuesday’s reception “extremely seriously” and had investigated immediately.