It's no surprise there is still racism in the royal family

I'm not sure what it's going to take for the royal family to confront and address its racism.

- NADINE WHITE

Or if, indeed, that is even possible when it is founded on structures of supremacy and privilege.

We know that Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, was widely vilified and ridiculed by parts of the UK press after publicly speaking out about her experiences during that famous Oprah interview last March. But today marks the first time in recent years that a palace staff member has left their role over racism allegations.

Lady Susan Hussey, the late Queen's lady-in-waiting, resigned after it emerged that she made "unacceptable and deeply regrettable comments" to Ngozi Fulani, a prominent Black advocate for survivors of domestic abuse. Ngozi is the CEO of Sistah Space, the UK's leading domestic abuse charity supporting Black women.

Hussey, Ngozi told The Independent, interrogated her about where she "really came from" and dismissed her right to be British while touching her hair without consent (which is a violation). "This is bigger than one individual," she told me. "It's institutional racism."

A spokesperson for Prince William released a statement criticising the behaviour of Lady Hussey, who is the future king's godmother, saying "racism has no place in society". But there was no comment on what steps would be taken to fight it.

To my mind, what happened to Ngozi is racial abuse, plain and simple. Abuse that was perpetrated in a crowded, high-society room, in broad daylight. So, what happens behind closed doors?

It's precisely this stinking attitude that inspires hostile environment policies that sparked the Windrush scandal. It's the stuff of far-right loons and rabid racists. And it has, understandably, left Ngozi shaken by the ordeal. As I type, the great unhinged are combing through her Twitter feed - lest we forget, Ngozi is the victim in all of this trying to find reasons to justify the treatment that was meted out to her. This is England, beloved.