LONDON —
Buckingham Palace apologized on Wednesday and a member of the royal household
has quit after a black British charity campaigner was repeatedly asked where
she “really” came from.
اضافة اعلان
Ngozi Fulani, the chief executive of the
London-based Sistah Space group, recounted the exchange with the unidentified
woman on Twitter.
Fulani is a prominent advocate for survivors of
domestic abuse, and was attending a reception at the palace with other
campaigners on Tuesday.
After saying she was born and raised in the UK, and
was British, Fulani said she was then asked by a “Lady SH”: “Where do you
really come from, where do your people come from?”
She was forced to say she was “of African heritage,
Caribbean descent” but repeated again that she was a British national.
Fulani said the
exchange left her with “mixed feelings” about the reception, which was hosted
by
Queen Consort Camilla to highlight violence against women and girls.
Buckingham Palace said it took the incident
“extremely seriously” and called the comments “unacceptable and deeply
regrettable”.
“We have reached out to Ngozi Fulani on this matter,
and are inviting her to discuss all elements of her experience in person if she
wishes,” a statement read.
“In the meantime, the individual concerned would like
to express her profound apologies for the hurt caused and has stepped aside
from her honorary role with immediate effect.
“All members of the Household are being reminded of
the diversity and inclusivity policies which they are required to uphold at all
times.”
Last year, the royal family revealed for the first
time how many ethnic minority staff it employs and admitted it had not made
sufficient progress on diversity.
The focus on improving diversity followed claims
from King Charles III’s youngest son Prince Harry and his mixed-race
daughter-in-law Meghan about racism in the royal family.
They alleged in a 2021 television interview that an
unnamed family member asked what color skin the couple’s son, Archie, would
have.
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