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Original poster

Racism in the Royal Family

593 replies

StoneofDestiny · 30/11/2022 19:06

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?

OP posts:
LizzieSiddal · 01/12/2022 11:22

ClaudineClare · Today 10:05
"This incident" has certainly shone some light on the racists that lurk on MN. It is a real eye-opener.*

Agree, they love these “incidents” as it gives them an excuse to show their nasty racism.

Televivi · 01/12/2022 11:25

I'm glad that these difficult threads have hopefully opened a few eyes regarding curious questions about other people's heritage. That's a positive.

Lunar270 · 01/12/2022 11:29

LadyKenya · 01/12/2022 11:20

True@Lunar270 it is like trying to hold back the tide on here. We as poc are here, We do not have to justify our presence to anybody.

Definitely not.

It's quite sad but when I read this on the news yesterday I laughed to myself. Not because it was in any way funny, but because I knew how this would go down on MN.

I'm sure you're completely used to the racists and apologists arguing and defending stuff like this. But after reading the transcript I thought, "bloody hell, you can't get much more conclusive than this". Yet even I'm surprised that the racists and apologists have plunged new lows of excuse making and faux naivety. It's really unbelievable, the lengths some will go to.

LadyKenya · 01/12/2022 11:34

Yes@Lunar270 I agree with you.

Dotingmumandgranny · 01/12/2022 11:37

jtaeapa · 30/11/2022 20:23

If the person making this comment had been 43yo, then I would agree that it was horrendously racist and unacceptable. But she is 83yo, so I don't think she can be condemned in the same way as a 43yo for making these comments. Unless she is a bully (which we have no idea of) it's likely she was trying to make conversation in a clumsy way and has taken a serious bashing and loss of role for it. She might actually want to go and die because of the national humiliation, if it is the case that she was trying to be friendly. On the other hand, she could be a bully who's finally been called out.

She was born before WW2 even started. She is from a completely different era to 99% of us.

Yes, she is 83, and no doubt brought up surrounded by people with racist attitudes.

The point is that her racism is so deeply ingrained, she didn't even consider that she might come across as deeply offensive. She thought it normal to question someone about their background. That's what makes it so unacceptable.

Mayorquimby2 · 01/12/2022 11:41

LadyKenya · 01/12/2022 11:10

You are right @Mayorquimby2 it is relentless. But what is the alternative? Give up fighting against racism, and leave our children, grandchildren.... to inherit this mess, without trying to change things. I have said in many posts that I am just scrolling past the names I recognise. Unfortunately there are too many racist on here. I will just not bother with these threads, because it just brings them all out from under their rocks.

I think you still fight and challenge racism, but that's not the same as treating disingenuous bigots and their positions as being worthy of time and consideration for engaging with.

For those it's enough to acknowledge that they're racists and use their talking points as examples when trying to discuss the issues with people who are acting in good faith even if they have reached a conclusion that you disagree with.

Not engaging with them is not the same as letting them win or leaving then unchallenge. But entering a debate with them when the terms of reference are never going to be agreed is a waste of time and plays in to their hands

notwavingbutdrowning1 · 01/12/2022 11:52

Yes, she is 83, and no doubt brought up surrounded by people with racist attitudes.
The point is that her racism is so deeply ingrained, she didn't even consider that she might come across as deeply offensive. She thought it normal to question someone about their background. That's what makes it so unacceptable

Agreed, and also the fact that the Palace put her in a public-facing position speaks volumes about who it/the RF think is acceptable to represent them. The whole operation stinks and it's not just Hussey who needs rooting out.

BeautifulDragon · 01/12/2022 11:55

Do people really ask men wearing kilts where they're from Hmm

No one is owed a detailed explanation of why someone isn't white. If I tell you I'm from London, that's all the information you're going to get. Fuck off.

notwavingbutdrowning1 · 01/12/2022 11:56

it is relentless. But what is the alternative? Give up fighting against racism, and leave our children, grandchildren.... to inherit this mess, without trying to change things. I have said in many posts that I am just scrolling past the names I recognise. Unfortunately there are too many racist on here. I will just not bother with these threads, because it just brings them all out from under their rocks.

@LadyKenya , I know from friends how exhausting it is having to deal with these attitudes and constantly having white people demand explanations from you. I'm so sorry you have to go through this. Reni Eddo-Lodge should be required reading for white people.

MaybeMan · 01/12/2022 12:15

Lady Susan has hugely embarrassed Camilla and undermined her new role of Queen Consort. What I would love to know is what Charles, William and Camilla really think about Susan's conduct. My guess is that they are just as intrinsically racist. Kate too.

This humiliating incident should shake the whole dynasty up, chuck out the old and rebuild. Educate yourselves on the needs of their 'subjects', it's the very least they can do..

SerendipityJane · 01/12/2022 13:11

This humiliating incident should shake the whole dynasty up, chuck out the old and rebuild.

Or just get rid of completely. Monarchs aren't an intrinsic part of existence, you know,.

Theblacksheepandme · 01/12/2022 13:20

I showed this to my daughter once when she was asked where she was really from.

Lunar270 · 01/12/2022 13:41

😂😂

LadyKenya · 01/12/2022 13:44

I hear you, I will definitely take your words on board@Mayorquimby2 .

LadyKenya · 01/12/2022 13:49

@notwavingbutdrowning1 Thank you. I appreciate your kind words.

MsFannySqueers · 01/12/2022 14:14

@MaybeMan I agree although I would hope that perhaps William and Kate are not in the same mould as the senior members of the RF but who knows? The problem is Charles and Camilla are just as entrenched in the old ways of the RF. The whole institution needs to be throughly modernised.I have always been doubtful that Charles and Camilla are able to show good judgment and I think this whole episode just proves that.

Livelovebehappy · 01/12/2022 17:02

MaybeMan · 01/12/2022 12:15

Lady Susan has hugely embarrassed Camilla and undermined her new role of Queen Consort. What I would love to know is what Charles, William and Camilla really think about Susan's conduct. My guess is that they are just as intrinsically racist. Kate too.

This humiliating incident should shake the whole dynasty up, chuck out the old and rebuild. Educate yourselves on the needs of their 'subjects', it's the very least they can do..

Thats a very generalised sweeping comment. Because one person who works for the RF makes these comments you think it's okay to label everyone else who resides in the same household the same? Wow....

Livingtothefull · 01/12/2022 18:55

I confess to feeling a bit sorry for 'Lady' Hussey. Only a little.....it is hard to have much sympathy for someone so privileged and entitled, and her interaction was wildly inappropriate, arrogant and yes racist.

But tbh I blame the RF and the Palace even more. They must have been aware of what she was like, she had worked at the heart of the RF and had served them for decades. Why on earth did they judge it appropriate for her to be there especially at an event of this kind? Surely they must have known it was just a matter of time that she would pull a stunt like this (it is also possible that she has done things like this before & they just didn't care). I think she was set up for this to happen.

Now of course she has been unceremoniously dumped by the RF amid public declarations of their abhorrence of racism. Whatever she may be like, they chose to keep her close to them all these years - now they have thrown her to the wolves with no support whatsoever, to make themselves look good.

The statement from PW - 'These comments were unacceptable, and it's right that the individual has stepped aside with immediate effect.' The 'individual' he referred to was his godmother. Still, as long as he & his family get to burnish their anti-racist credentials`(again!) that's the main thing.

Notaflippinclue · 01/12/2022 19:48

Something fishy going on, maybe some people will eat humble pie when the truth is out on both sides, dirty deeds afoot, trash Will and Kates American trip, Harry and Megan release their trailer at the same time, ooh Mrs Hurley shot at dawn.

Notaflippinclue · 01/12/2022 19:51

Sorry Hussey

XingMing · 01/12/2022 19:55

I don't think the current core royals are dinosaurs or racist. And I am sure Lady Susan Hussey is just too old to be in the job, and possibly a bit thick and insensitive in her conversation. But, I also feel that Ngozo Falani has a pot she would like to stir too.

BlueWalnut · 01/12/2022 20:09

Maybe the royals are playing a dirty PR game @Livingtothefull

beatrice14 · 01/12/2022 20:13

jtaeapa, why do you say Lady SH was born before WW2 even started? She's 83, born May, so only by a few months. My grandmother is 90, and would never behave like that. Lady H must have, as many people have said, been exposed to many different people as a lady-in-waiting. The Queen and Princess Margaret were both older than her and never said anything like that.
Having said that, I think the Queen did some things well but was a lot more morally complex than most biographies have acknowledged. There was a sense that she was too elderly and respected to be criticised, but the Guardian did reveal that she asked to be exempt from the race and sex discrimination acts and she was criticised for not defending the Windrush victims. I certainly judge her for having this woman as her best friend. It seems odd that she hasn't behave this was before. But perhaps she did, and it wasn't reported due to the Queen's influence. I think there will be more exposure of the darker underbelly of the royals now.

beatrice14 · 01/12/2022 20:15

I also judge Charles for having this woman as a friend and his son's godmother.

Theunamedcat · 01/12/2022 20:19

Livingtothefull · 01/12/2022 18:55

I confess to feeling a bit sorry for 'Lady' Hussey. Only a little.....it is hard to have much sympathy for someone so privileged and entitled, and her interaction was wildly inappropriate, arrogant and yes racist.

But tbh I blame the RF and the Palace even more. They must have been aware of what she was like, she had worked at the heart of the RF and had served them for decades. Why on earth did they judge it appropriate for her to be there especially at an event of this kind? Surely they must have known it was just a matter of time that she would pull a stunt like this (it is also possible that she has done things like this before & they just didn't care). I think she was set up for this to happen.

Now of course she has been unceremoniously dumped by the RF amid public declarations of their abhorrence of racism. Whatever she may be like, they chose to keep her close to them all these years - now they have thrown her to the wolves with no support whatsoever, to make themselves look good.

The statement from PW - 'These comments were unacceptable, and it's right that the individual has stepped aside with immediate effect.' The 'individual' he referred to was his godmother. Still, as long as he & his family get to burnish their anti-racist credentials`(again!) that's the main thing.

So is he not allowed to cut her off because she is his godmother? If my godmother made public/private comments like this I would cut her off too not because I need to polish my halo but because this is not the sort of behaviour I want around me or my children