“We take this incident extremely seriously,” Buckingham Palace said after racism allegations were made against the palace aide by an activist who attended a reception hosted by Queen Camilla

Senior Member of King Charles’ Team Resigns Following Racism Allegations at Palace Event

Source: People Magazine

One of King Charles III‘s top team members at the palace has resigned after claims of racism were made against her by a guest who attended a Buckingham Palace reception to combat violence against women on Tuesday.

Domestic abuse activist Ngozi Fulani says she was repeatedly asked racially-loaded questions about her heritage and background by the palace aide at the reception, which was hosted by Queen Camilla.

In a statement, Buckingham Palace said the member of the royal household has resigned and apologized after “unacceptable and deeply regrettable comments” were made.

Outlining the full conversation on Twitter, Fulani, who was born in Britain and attended the event on behalf of Sistah Space — a support group for African and Caribbean women affected by abuse — claimed she was asked questions like “what nationality are you?” “where do you really come from?” “where do your people come from?” and “what part of Africa are you from?”

The aide at the center of the controversy, called “Lady SH” in Fulani’s tweet about the incident, is widely being reported and referred to on social media as Lady Susan Hussey, 83, a longstanding lady-in-waiting to the late Queen Elizabeth and godmother to Prince William. King Charles recently made her Lady of the Household.

“We take this incident extremely seriously and have investigated immediately to establish the full details,” a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said on Wednesday.

“In this instance, unacceptable and deeply regrettable comments have been made,” the statement continued. “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.

“In the meantime, the individual concerned would like to express her profound apologies for the hurt caused and has stepped aside from her honorary role with immediate effect. All members of the Household are being reminded of the diversity and inclusivity policies which they are required to uphold at all times.”

Sophie, Sophie Countess of Wessex, Queen Mathilde of Belgium, Camilla Queen Consort, Queen Rania, Danish Crown Princess Mary, the first lady of Sierra Leone Fatima Maada Bio, and the first lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska pose for a photograph during a reception to raise awareness of violence against women and girls as part of the UN 16 days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, in Buckingham Palace

Left to right: Sophie Countess of Wessex, Queen Mathilde of Belgium, Queen Camilla, Queen Rania of Jordan, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, Sierra Leone’s First Lady Fatima Maada Bio, and Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska. KIN CHEUNG/WPA POOL/SHUTTERSTOCK

The racism allegations come as Prince William and Kate Middleton travel to Boston on Wednesday for three days of events leading up to William’s Earthshot Prize awards ceremony on Friday evening.

In a statement Wednesday, a spokesman for the Prince and Princess of Wales said: “I was really disappointed to hear about the guest’s experience. Racism has no place in our society. These comments were unacceptable and it’s right that the individual has stepped aside with immediate effect.”

Fulani attended Queen Camilla‘s palace event to highlight the campaign against domestic and sexual abuse of women. Fulani was invited by Safe Lives, one of the charities Camilla, 75, has long supported.

Following the event, Camilla issued a rare personal tweet on the royal family’s Twitter account.

“Today, a remarkable group of people gathered at Buckingham Palace with one aim – to see the end of violence against women and girls. I was deeply moved and inspired by their stories. With determination and courage, we will see the end of these heinous crimes forever,” she said, signing the message from “Camilla R,” standing for the Latin word for queen, “Regina.”

Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. Women’s Wellness Initiative in Sweden

You are invited to share our flyer above with your network, family, and friends.

My name is Soror Lind. I am a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. Welcome to the information page for the Women’s Wellness Initiative I am running in Sweden. I am a military wife and a member of our Sorority’s Military Initiatives Ad Hoc Committee Task Force. I am the lead for coordinating and maintaining contact with our active duty and retired Sorors and military family outside of the United States.

Since joining our illustrious Sorority in 2020, this is my first international service project. I chose Women’s and Girls Shelters across Sweden that serve domestic abuse victims. Why is this important? Here are some facts from the World Health Organization.

Violence against women

Key facts – Here is the source and link for more information.
  • Violence against women – particularly intimate partner violence and sexual violence – is a major public health problem and a violation of women’s human rights.
  • Estimates published by WHO indicate that globally about 1 in 3 (30%) of women worldwide have been subjected to either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime.
  • Most of this violence is intimate partner violence. Worldwide, almost one-third (27%) of women aged 15-49 years who have been in a relationship report that they have been subjected to some form of physical and/or sexual violence by their intimate partner.
  • Violence can negatively affect women’s physical, mental, sexual, and reproductive health, and may increase the risk of acquiring HIV in some settings.
  • Violence against women is preventable. The health sector has an important role to play to provide comprehensive health care to women subjected to violence, and as an entry point for referring women to other support services, they may need.

Additional shelters to support may be added. Some shelters provide housing, while others offer different services. You are able to choose which shelter you want to support by either donating hygiene articles or money directly to the shelter.

In Sweden, women’s and girls’ shelters are organized by Roks.

Roks.se

Roks, the National Organisation for Women’s Shelters and Young Women’s Shelters in Sweden, is the largest member organization for women’s shelters and young women’s shelters in the country. Roks aims at safeguarding the common interests of the shelters in their work against male violence toward women.

Roks strives to shape public opinion, and actively works to make the public aware of the reality that the shelters face, as well as to conduct outward dialogues around the issues concerning the shelters. There are currently around 100 women’s and young women’s shelters within the organization.

Roks is a feministic organization working on the rights of women and young women’s rights and liberation, as well as equality on all levels. 
 

The Women’s Shelters

Each shelter is independent with its own working methods. However, what all the shelters have in common is an emergency helpline where women and young women can call if they need support. All callers can choose to remain anonymous should they so wish, and no one is registered.

The women’s shelters offer support based on the individual needs and wishes of each woman. Perhaps she needs to talk about her situation and her current relationship. She might even need advice about a police report or a custody dispute. It could also be about being the victim of sexual abuse, either recently or several years ago. The women working at the shelters provide conversational support and advice and can also go along as support when visiting the police, lawyers, and social services for example. Many shelters also offer sheltered housing for women and their children.

A number of shelters also have a separate legal hotline. Some shelters have text telephones to cater to women with impaired hearing. Other shelters specialize in receiving adults subjected to incest.

Find a Women’s shelter here.
 

The Young Women’s Shelters

There are approximately 30 young women’s shelters within Roks, of which around ten are independent organizations. The young women’s shelters work in much the same way as the women’s shelters but turn to younger women who, for example, have been subjected to threats, ill-treatment, and sexual abuse, or, for some other reason, need to talk to another girl. They also actively work towards making the public aware of the girls’ living conditions. The Young Women’s shelters have their own website at www.rokstjejjourer.se

How you can help regardless of your geographical location

If you are reading this, you may be in a position to help. Below, you are able to learn more about the shelters we are supporting.

You can read more about my Sorority Sigma Gamma Rho’s Women’s Wellness Initiative from this link: bit.ly/MIAHWWISE

You can donate directly to the shelter you would like to support. Those details are below.

You can purchase hygiene articles from Amazon from our list to be delivered to the shelter from this link: bit.ly/MIAHWWI2. Choose Cecilia Heikkinen’s Gift Registry Address for delivery.

If you are familiar with a women’s or girls’ shelter in Sweden we have yet to work with, please share this page with them and email me via adrianne.georgelind (at) sgrhoneregion.org. I am super happy to add them to our list if they accept our help.

Motala Kvinnojour is a non-partisan and non-religious non-profit association that works for a society free from men’s violence and oppression. The on-call service consists of a board, two full-time on-call women, and non-voluntary on-call women. Motala Kvinnojour’s mission is to be a refuge from violence by offering unconditional support for women and children. If you are in Sweden, you can make a cash donation: Swish 123 0298117 Bangiro: 439-6107. Please note SGRHO.
Alla Kvinnors Hus is a non-profit association that is religiously and politically independent. Our way of working is based on help for self-help. We do not register anyone; you can be anonymous and we have a vow of secrecy. We listen, give advice and support and support you in what you want to do. Alla Kvinnors Hus offers, among other things: Help and support if you are exposed to threats or abuse in any form Sheltered housing for those who have to flee your home Support calls and advice Self-help groups for women who have been abused, incest, and sexually abused Support for contact with authorities Education on men’s violence against women Study circles Information to other associations, police, social services and more. If you are in Sweden, you can make a cash donation: Bankgiro 5614-8190 Swish 123 149 81 46. Please note SGRHO.
The Women’s Association against Violence in Karlskoga / Degerfors works against men’s violence against women, girls, and children. We run sheltered housing, open support activities, and dissemination of information in our area. The activity is aimed at anyone who defines themselves as girls or women. Purchase hygiene articles from our Amazon list for direct delivery bit.ly/MIAHWWI2. You can purchase hygiene articles from Amazon from our list to be delivered to the shelter from this link: bit.ly/MIAHWWI2. Choose Cecilia Heikkinen’s Gift Registry Address for delivery. Or if you are in Sweden you can make a cash donation: Swish  1230927590 or Bankgiro 5115-3930. Please note SGRHO.
Stockholm’s girls ‘shelter is Sweden’s first girls’ shelter with 25 years of experience in supporting and strengthening girls and young women. We are a non-profit feminist association that is politically and religiously independent. The purpose of the association is to support and strengthen girls and young women and reduce repeated vulnerability. To us, anyone who defines themselves as girls and young women between the ages of 10-30 from all over the country can turn to us for support and help. We are available via email, chat, or phone. If you are in Sweden you can make a cash donation: Swish 123 5622 527 Please note SGRHO.
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The association Kvinnohuset Västerås consists of a women’s shelter, a girls’ shelter, and an open, outward-looking business. The women’s shelter and the girls’ shelter work with direct support for girls and women exposed to violence and their children. In the open, outward-looking activities, we work to shed light on men’s violence against women and power balances from different perspectives. We do this with the help of the association’s collective experience of meeting vulnerable girls, women, and their children. We work to highlight women in culture, for example by inviting female writers and musicians. The association also works actively to invite researchers and debaters in the field. If you are in Sweden you can make a cash donation: Swish 123 419 6762 Please note SGRHO.

Thank you! or tack as we say here in Sweden.

Thank you for choosing to support women, their children, and girls that seek help when they are in a domestic violence situation. Every bit helps the women’s and girls’ shelters serve them and us. I will update this page with donation totals.

Soror Lind