Did deafness play a part in Lady Susan’s palace race gaffe?

BUCKINGHAM Palace guest Ngozi Fulani said she was left feeling ‘violated’ after Prince William’s godmother ‘interrogated’ her about where she was from at a reception on Tuesday, despite her making clear she was British.

I can disclose that a very common problem may have played a part in the domestic abuse campaigner’s fateful exchange with Lady Susan Hussey.

‘Like many people of her age, Lady Susan is rather hard of hearing,’ one of her friends tells me. ‘It’s likely that her deafness contributed to the problems she had that day, and may perhaps help explain the stilted nature of the conversation.’

The friend adds: ‘It was a very noisy room, with lots of people, so she may not have heard as much as she usually would.’ Lady Susan, 83, served as Queen Elizabeth’s righthand woman for 62 years before being given the honorary position of ‘Lady of the Household’ by King Charles and Queen Camilla.

Ms Fulani accused Lady Susan of moving her hair in order to look at her name badge and asking her: ‘What part of Africa are you from?’ when she replied that she came from Hackney.

On Wednesday, after Ms Fulani published details of their conversation on social media, Buckingham Palace announced that Lady Susan was resigning her post and expressed her profound apologies for the offence caused.

Sources have told this newspaper that while there was no doubt the comments were made, ‘absolutely no malice was intended’.

Lady Susan, widow of former BBC Chairman Lord (Marmaduke) Hussey, has offered to meet Ms Fulani. During a string of media appearances, Ms Fulani described her Palace meeting as a ‘form of abuse’.