Lady Susan Hussey, who resigned over 'unacceptable' racist comments, was by Queen Elizabeth's side at Prince Philip's funeral

• Lady Susan Hussey has resigned after "unacceptable" comments toward a Black guest at the palace.
• Hussey, a former lady-in-waiting, was known as one of the late Queen's closest companions.

Lady Susan Hussey, a royal aide who resigned on Wednesday over "unacceptable" comments made to a guest at Buckingham Palace, was one of Queen Elizabeth II's closest confidantes.

Hussey, 83, was a lady-in-waiting to the late Queen Elizabeth, a nonsalaried role given to aristocratic women who acted as personal assistants to the monarch. After the Queen's death on September 8, Hussey and the other ladies became "ladies of the household," with their roles focusing on assisting King Charles with royal events.

Hussey stepped back on Wednesday after Ngozi Fulani, a Black charity founder who attended a palace event on Tuesday, wrote on Twitter that an aide identified as "Lady SH" asked her where she "really came from" and continued to question her after Fulani clarified that she was born in the UK.

In a statement shared with Insider, the palace said that "unacceptable and deeply regrettable comments have been made" and that the staff member "would like to express her profound apologies" and that she had resigned from her honorary role.

Buckingham Palace did not identify the member of staff that made the comments. However, the leader of the UK Women's Equality Party, Mandu Reid, who told BBC News she witnessed the "racist" comments, identified Hussey as the individual.

Before the Queen's death, 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.

She started working at the palace and 1960, and from then she was by the Queen's side for every major event, including Prince Philip's funeral on April 17, 2021.

Hussey was the only member of staff to accompany the monarch in the car before Philip's funeral at St. George's Chapel in Windsor, Tatler reports. The Queen sat alone at the ceremony, likely due to the UK's social distancing guidelines at the time, Insider previously reported.

Hussey is also thought to have been close with King Charles, as she was named godmother to his eldest son, Prince William, and was in the official photographs at his christening ceremony.

A spokesperson for William and Kate Middleton said the staff member was right to step down following the incident at the palace. The spokesperson didn't name Hussey in the statement.

"This is a matter for Buckingham Palace, but as the Prince of Wales' spokesperson I appreciate you're all here and that you'll want to ask about it. So let me address this head on," a Kensington Palace spokesperson said in a statement at a media briefing during their trip to Boston on Wednesday, which was later shared with Insider.

"I was really disappointed to hear about the guest's experience at Buckingham Palace last night," the spokesperson said.

"Obviously, I wasn't there, but racism has no place in our society. The comments were unacceptable, and it is right that the individual has stepped aside with immediate effect," they added.