Racism in the Royal Family

[StoneofDestiny]

Susan Hussey has resigned. Philip was coming out with similar comments in public all his life, yet there was no move to get rid of him. AIBU to think this is more royal hypocrisy?

Something similar happened to me aged 21 (I am white British).

An old gentleman visited the office I worked in. Upon entering he glared at me and stated loudly, “Well, you don’t have an Anglo-Saxon face!”

After some grilling, he learned my maternal grandmother was southern Indian. He knew it was something like that! I had such ‘big, exotic features’!

This was c.2000. I would hand him his ass now…

Ngozi Fulani had it so much worse today and likely most days.

Hussey is only 10 yrs older than my parents, not even a whole generation older, and my parents would never have done this to someone. It isn't her age that's the problem here. It's that her warped opinions have been supported by the highest seat in the land, literally supreme level institutionalised racism. I hope more of these come to light.

Was she the one who wrote the racist broach to M&H's wedding?

No but she could by any other means. And yet she has not…

@beAsensible1 That’s exactly how I perceived it, but apparently to some it was just a conversation. It does make me wonder how many times people have put their foot in their mouth because they think they’re just “conversing”? 🤔

It’s not the same.

I’ve moved all over the country because my husband was in the RAF and now we’ve settled in Yorkshire, so I get asked all the time where I’m from because of my accent. Today I was at the dentist, he was a POC with a strong Yorkshire accent. The dental nurse was white, also with a strong Yorkshire accent. If I’d asked the dentist where he was really from I’d have been a racist cow.

My dcs are from a mixed background and quite enjoy people asking where they are from, probably because people never get it right. However I can completely understand how such questions can make someone feel like they don’t belong ie they’re not actually British. If this lady didn’t know it’s wrong because she’s so old then she’s too old to be in the job 🤷‍♂️.

That’s exactly the same. I suspect they touch your hair at the same time too.

No, that was Princess Michael of Kent. Christ.

The Caribbean Tour of William and Kate was another giant clue the Royals and their advisors are out of touch with what is acceptable behaviour

Why? If I recall correctly, they seem to have been invited and then shunned by the hosts and given grief ? Is that acceptable to you? They shouldn't have bothered

Well, I'd suggest you have extremely partial and selective recall. Even William and Kate condemned the advice they were given. But how on Earth two university educated people with such a privileged education were able to go along with the advice is mind blowing! Shaking hands with kids held back by wire fences, and parading around like colonial chiefs, looking down (literally) on the population from the back of a Land Rover!

There were witnesses. So we know it's true.

You think TWITTER influenced her resignation?! ok.

I think an old lady asked questions she'd have been better advised not to

Ageism rears its ugly head again.

My mum is 76 and is not a racist, and neither are any of her huge circle of friends of groups where she volunteers, so the age excuse is a load of bollocks.

I'll bite. Had Ngozi Fulani, responded to the question "No, what part of Africa are you from?' with "Actually I am British, but my ndame is of Nigerian/Igbo origin or my parents came to the UK from the carribbean' Then I suspect the questions would have taken a different turn. She could have moved the conversation onto the charity herself as it would have been a natural segue. Like I said I think it was a clumsy and tactless approach but it does read to me that Ngozi Fulani was being disingenuous in her responses, i do not know what her motivation for that would be but given her open hostility towards the RF it is not exactly inconceivable.

… Maya Angelou

Several people are asking why it’s wrong for an old lady to ask Ngozi about her heritage, given her charity is rooted in her familial heritage.

answer: because Ngozi gave an answer that was NOT related to her skin colour (Britain). however old lady the badgered her, asked where her “people” were from, moved her hair, refused to believe her answer.

now, had old lady said. “Oh London! And now tell me more about your charity. Oh I see, you help people of x heritage” (or even, “what a splendid dress, tell me about it!”) then this is fine. diplomatic. Old lady is extremely wealthy and privileged, and has had this networking position for decades. She ought to know better, much better. Unless she’s got dementia I suppose.

Btw, it is very very very tiring to spend a lifetime explaining one’s parental heritage (in my case I’m dark skinned, so am “othered”, and pinpointed as different, but ive got a mixed and unusual background, including a displaced mother (former Poland), and so I’m not “from” anywhere (apart from Britain/planet earth). This means I have to go into an enormous family tree… outlining all this really isn’t appropriate in a formal networking event, even if it might be “interesting” office/friendship chitchat — where you then tell me how your mum is Welsh, and your dad grew up in Liverpool, blah blah blah, or even how you’re seven generations Walthamstow or whatever. Equal relationship.

instead, old lady hassled her, wheedled on and on. Ngozi said (accurately) that she is British, she’s lived here all her life. It was patronising, othering, and very racist. If you really can’t see why, then I hope this explanation helps a little! We are all related, we are all humans, and thankfully people are speaking up now. I know I spent a lifetime saying nothing. It’s brave of Ngozi to speak up about something that’s not very nice.

To those who still, stilll don’t get it — is there something about you that causes you to be discriminated against? Something that’s confused or upset you from childhood? Something that’s set you apart?* Now think about how it would feel for someone to really corner you on that. At an official event. Where you were supposed to be celebrating your achievements.

*(Hint: In Ngozi‘s case it will have been a lifetime of being made to feel unaccepted/less than by racists.)

Right, so if me, brown person, British born to Indian parents, is repeatedly asked by another brown person where I'm from - not a two way conversation and not a line of questioning invited by me - and I say, "the Midlands", and they persist in asking by going down the route of, "No, but where are you really from, until I cough up my parents' immigration history so they'll STFU, can I infer that my brown questioner is a racist? Because the only people I get this line of questioning from these days is other ethnic minorities.

There's currently a thread "Does the U.K. have a racism problem?"
The answer: a bunch of posts on this thread. a.k.a.: "Yes."

No that was the other family member, Princess Michael of Kent, in the "very much not a racist family"
Megan Markle can rest her case.

parading around like colonial chiefs, looking down (literally) on the population from the back of a Land Rover!

That's your interpretation of perfectly standard activities during a diplomatic visit.

Your resentment and vindictiveness is showing here. It's quite worrying frankly

There were witnesses

Who are they? Members of the charity also?

I just had a look at that thread and jfc your not wrong. Apparently Ngozi Fulani should've expected it because there are photos online of her wearing braids and clothes with an "ethnic slant".

That's your interpretation of perfectly standard activities during a diplomatic visit.

Not just her interpretation, no. Widely condemned in the press, SM, all over the place.

Great to see the apologists showing their hands though

TBF Hussey was trying to have a conversation with Fulani, it wasn’t a “line of questioning”. Quite a few of Fulani’s answers were only one or two words, which is more associated with a stroppy teen than an adult woman, and makes it very difficult to have a conversation. For example, when initially asked where she was from, instead of Fulani just answering “Sista Space”, she should have spoken about her charity.

It's not NF's job or responsibility to cover up racism exhibited by the representative of her hostess. I would imagine she's had a bellyfull of that over the years. I'm glad she made it public. I'm glad I know about this.

OMG I am coming late to this. Aghast at the lady in waiting, how fkin RUDE. Touching Ngozi's hair, badgering and hectoring her, bloody hell.