Ngozi Fulani, co-founder of a charity, tweeted on Wednesday morning about her experiences at an event hosted by Queen Consort Camilla at Buckingham Palace the night before.
Fulani, who is black, had then been met by a court lady, who removed Fulani’s hair to see her name tag and then asked “what part of Africa” she was from.
When Fulani, who is of African descent but born in the UK, answered just that, she was repeatedly asked where she is “really” from. When she finally said that her parents came to the country in the 1950s, the response was:
— I knew we would get an answer eventually, you come from the West Indies!
Fulani writes that she experienced the rest of the evening as in a fog, shocked by the reception.
The court lady’s identity was initially kept hidden, and the court replied that they would investigate the matter. But soon it became known that she is close friends with Camilla and King Charles and Prince William’s godmother. According to The Times, the 83-year-old was also one of Queen Elizabeth’s absolute closest associates and friends.
A spokesman for Prince William said the comments were “unacceptable, and it is quite right that the individual has left his duties with immediate effect”.
Fulani, for her part, tells The Guardian that she would rather have the court trained in racial issues.
Last year, Prince Harry and his Meghan accused the British court of racism. Meghan Markle, whose mother is black, claimed, among other things, that concerns were expressed in the palace about how dark the skin color of their then unborn child would be.