Susan Katharine Hussey, Baroness Hussey of North Bradley, (''née'' Waldegrave; born 1 May 1939), known as Lady Susan Hussey, is a British noblewoman who served as a

Woman of the Bedchamber In the Royal Household of the United Kingdom the term Woman of the Bedchamber is used to describe a woman (usually a daughter of a peer) attending either a queen regnant or queen consort, in the role of lady-in-waiting. Historically the term 'Ge ...

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

and as a Lady of the Household from September to November 2022 under

King Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...

. According to

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadc ...

, Hussey "was a key and trusted figure in the British royal household for decades."

Family

Hussey is the fifth and youngest daughter of the 12th Earl Waldegrave, and Mary Hermione Grenfell (1909–1995). She is the sister of the 13th Earl Waldegrave and the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

politician William Waldegrave. Her aunt, Dame Frances Campbell-Preston, was

lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was th ...

. On 25 April 1959 she married

Marmaduke Hussey Marmaduke James Hussey, Baron Hussey of North Bradley (29 August 1923 – 27 December 2006), known as Duke Hussey, was Chairman of the Board of Governors of the BBC from 1986 to 1996, serving two terms in that role. Education and career The so ...

(later Chairman of the

Board of Governors of the BBC The Board of Governors of the BBC was the governing body of the British Broadcasting Corporation. It consisted of twelve people who together regulated the BBC and represented the interests of the public. It existed from 1927 until it was replace ...

) and had two children: James Arthur (b. 1961) and Katharine Elizabeth (b. 1964). Her daughter Katharine married Sir Francis Brooke and followed her mother into royal service, as one of the official companions to

Queen Camilla Camilla (born Camilla Rosemary Shand, later Parker Bowles, 17 July 1947) is Queen Consort of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms as the wife of King Charles III. She became queen consort on 8 September 2022, upon the a ...

Royal household

Hussey joined the royal household in 1960, initially helping with royal correspondence, before being promoted to the position of

, owing to her knowledge of the inner workings of the household. She was a close friend of Queen Elizabeth II, as well as of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, and often spent time at

Balmoral Castle Balmoral Castle () is a large estate house in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and a residence of the British royal family. It is near the village of Crathie, west of Ballater and west of Aberdeen. The estate and its original castle were bought f ...

. During her time as a courtier, Hussey was given the job of helping new arrivals adjust to life in the royal household, such as

Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...

. Another such new arrival whom Hussey was tasked with assisting was

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (; born Rachel Meghan Markle; August 4, 1981) is an American member of the British royal family and former actress. She is the wife of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, the younger son of King Charles III. Meghan wa ...

. Hussey is a godmother to Diana's first-born son,

William, Prince of Wales William, Prince of Wales, (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982) is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales. Born in London, William was edu ...

, and was chosen to accompany Queen Elizabeth at the funeral of Prince Philip. With other members of the royal household, Hussey attended the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on 19 September 2022. Following the Queen's death, she was made a Lady of the Household, along with the late Queen's other ladies-in-waiting, and was responsible for assisting at events held at

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

Resignation

In her role as a Lady of the Household, she attended a reception hosted by Queen Camilla on 29 November 2022 as part of the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict initiative. The next day, Sistah Space charity founder Ngozi Fulani made a public allegation of racism against Lady Hussey, by publishing (on Twitter) a transcript of a conversation alleged to have occurred between them at the event. Following the allegation, Lady Hussey resigned her position from the royal household and apologised. In the post on

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

, Fulani said that Hussey had questioned her origins by repeatedly asking where she was "really" from, which Fulani interpreted as racist. Witnesses to the conversation, such as Women's Equality Party leader

Mandu Reid Mandu Reid (born 1981) is the leader of the British Women's Equality Party (WEP). Early life and education Reid's mother is Black Malawi and her father is White British. Her parents met while her father was teaching English in Malawi, where Re ...

, corroborated this account of events. Buckingham Palace said that "unacceptable and deeply regrettable comments" had been made, and that "the individual concerned would like to express her profound apologies for the hurt caused and has stepped aside". A spokesperson for her godson,

, said that "racism has no place in our society". The

prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

Rishi Sunak Rishi Sunak (; born 12 May 1980) is a British politician who has served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party since October 2022. He previously held two cabinet positions under Boris Johnson, lastly as ...

, declined to comment on the controversy specifically, but stated that the country had made "incredible" progress in tackling racism, adding that it was "never done" and must continue to be addressed. Some journalists defended her; long-time personal friend of Hussey

Petronella Wyatt Petronella "Petsy" Aspasia Wyatt (born 6 May 1968) is a British journalist and author. Most recently, she has described herself as an ornamental fountain. Early life and education Wyatt was born on 6 May 1968 at 12 Devonshire Street, West Londo ...

said, "I can say with authority, however, that Susan Hussey has never knowingly offended anyone in her life. She upholds a clean tradition of honesty and equity ... This morning a mutual friend told me she is 'shattered and heartbroken and will never recover.'" On 16 December, Hussey and Fulani met at Buckingham Palace to address the incident, with Hussey offering her "sincere apologies for the comments that were made and the distress they caused". A joint statement was released afterwards, reporting that the meeting was "filled with warmth and understanding" and that Fuluni "has accepted this apology and appreciates that no malice was intended".

Honours

Susan Baroness Hussey of North Bradley Achievement

Having previously been made a

Commander of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, o ...

(CVO) in 1971 and Dame Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (DCVO) in 1984, Hussey was promoted to

Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...

(GCVO) in the

2013 Birthday Honours The 2013 Birthday Honours were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as part of ...

. She was also awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Version of the

Royal Household Long and Faithful Service Medal The Royal Household Long and Faithful Service Medal is a civil decoration awarded by the British monarch to servants of the royal household for long and faithful service. History The Royal Household Long and Faithful Service Medal was establish ...

with 30-, 40-, 50- and 60-year bars. In September 2015, she received the Sash of Special Category of the

Order of the Aztec Eagle The Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle ( es, Orden Mexicana del Águila Azteca) forms part of the Mexican Honours System and is the highest Mexican order awarded to foreigners in the country. History It was created by decree on December 29, 1933 ...

In popular culture

Hussey is portrayed by Haydn Gwynne in season 5 of ''

The Crown The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has differ ...

''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hussey of North Bradley, Susan Hussey, Baroness 1939 births Living people Waldegrave family People from Mendip District People from Somerset English people of Cornish descent English people of Scottish descent English people of French descent Dames Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Daughters of British earls Spouses of life peers Hussey of North Bradley British ladies-in-waiting Women of the Bedchamber