A Buckingham Palace staff member has resigned after she asked a Black guest where she 'really came from' at an event

• A member of the royal household has stepped down over comments made to a guest.
• The individual, thought to be a lady-in-waiting, is said to have asked the guest where she "really came from."

Buckingham Palace said that a staff member had resigned after making "unacceptable" comments at a palace event.

The palace said that "unacceptable and deeply regrettable comments have been made" and that the staff member "would like to express her profound apologies for the hurt caused" and had resigned from her honorary role, the BBC initially reported.

Ngozi Fulani is the founder of Sistah Space, a charity that supports African and Caribbean women affected by domestic violence. The palace's statement was made in response to a Twitter post by Fulani, where she detailed an encounter with a member of the royal household on Tuesday.

Fulani tweeted that she was asked by a palace staff member where she "really came from" after saying she was born in the UK during an event hosted by the Queen Consort on Tuesday.

Fulani shared a full transcript of the alleged conversation in the Twitter post.

In the initial tweet, Fulani identified the staff member as "Lady SH." In a follow-up tweet, she said she does not wish to reveal the full identity of the person involved.

Mandu Reid, leader of the UK's Women's Equality Party, wrote on Twitter that she was at the event and that she witnessed the encounter unfold.

"I was right there. I witnessed this firsthand. We were at an event that was supposed to celebrate our work," Reid wrote. "For people like Lady SH, people like us will never really belong here."

"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 palace spokesperson said in a statement sent to Insider.

"In the meantime, the individual concerned wishes 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 strict diversity and inclusivity policies which they are required to uphold at all times," they added.

Roya Nikkhah, the royal editor at The Sunday Times, said in a tweet on Wednesday that the palace confirmed to her that the staff member who resigned was Lady Susan Hussey.

Hussey was one of the new "ladies of the household," which the palace recently announced as replacements to ladies-in-waiting, a nonsalaried, honorary role given to aristocratic women who act as personal assistants to members of the royal family.

Hussey was initially hired to respond to letters after Prince Andrew's birth in 1960, according to Hello Magazine, and she accompanied Queen Elizabeth II at official state events before the former monarch's death on September 8.

Hussey was known as the palace's "Number One Head Girl" and was previously described as "one of the key trusted figures helping the Queen in her later life," according to Tatler.

Representatives for Ngozi Fulani and Mandu Reid did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.