- Lady Susan Hussey was one of Queen Elizabeth's closest confidants in Buckingham Palace.
- She resigned this week after reportedly asking a Black charity founder where they "really came from."
Lady Susan Hussey, the Buckingham Palace staff member who resigned after making "unacceptable" comments this week, once reportedly criticized Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's relationship.
Hussey — who is also the godmother of Prince William and was one of Queen Elizabeth's closest confidantes — was quoted in Tom Bower's 2022 biography, "Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War Between the Windsors."
Bower said Hussey was having lunch with a group of theater executives and directors in 2017 when the topic turned to Markle.
Hussey "became unexpectedly serious about the couple's future," Bower wrote, before telling the directors "that will all end in tears, mark my words."
Bower also wrote that Queen Elizabeth handpicked Hussey to visit Markle and give her "help and advice" for adjusting to royal life.
Following the book's release in July, Bower was criticized by some who were quoted in the biography, claiming he had lied about Markle. Meanwhile, Bower made his own opinions about the Duchess of Sussex well-known, telling Piers Morgan in a July interview that she was doing "something quite dreadful to Britain."
Buckingham Palace never commented on Bower's story about Hussey, and earlier this week it was announced that she would retain her place among the royal family as a new "lady of the household." On Monday, Insider's Mikhaila Friel previously reported that the role was designed to replace ladies-in-waiting, a nonsalaried, honorary role given to aristocratic women who act as personal assistants to members of the royal family.
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.
But two days after her new position was announced, Hussey turned in her resignation.
Buckingham Palace announced on Wednesday that Hussey had made "deeply regrettable comments" and expressed "her profound apologies for the hurt caused."
The resignation came shortly after Ngozi Fulani, the founder of UK charity Sistah Space, said in a tweet that she had been asked "where she really came from" during an event hosted by Camilla, Queen Consort, on Tuesday.
She said that a palace staff member repeatedly asked her the same question, despite Fulani stating multiple times that she was born in the UK.
—Sistah Space (@Sistah_Space) November 30, 2022
Fulani identified the staff member as "Lady SH" in her initial tweet and said she didn't wish to reveal the person's full identity. Roya Nikkhah, the royal editor at The Sunday Times, said in a tweet on Wednesday that Buckingham Palace confirmed to her it was Hussey who had resigned.
"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 on Wednesday.
Representatives for Bower, the Sussexes, and Fulani did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.