Race row at Buckingham Palace as late Queen's lady in waiting steps down

Buckingham Palace said it took the incident, at the Queen Consort’s reception on violence against women on Tuesday, “extremely seriously” and had investigated immediately.

A source confirmed that the person who made the remarks was Lady Susan Hussey, 83, who served as Queen Elizabeth II’s lady in waiting for more than 60 years and is a godmother to the Prince of Wales.

Ngozi Fulani, chief executive of Sistah Space, detailed the conversation on Twitter, describing it as a “violation” and said the experience will “never leave me”.

She named the member of the palace household only as Lady SH, but the Palace refused to confirm who it was.

She has now stepped down from her honorary role as one of three Ladies of the Household, to which she was newly appointed to help the King at formal occasions.

The Palace said in a statement: “In this instance, unacceptable and deeply regrettable comments have been made. 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."

The event was attended by domestic violence campaigners from across the UK, including Claire Throssell, whose two sons Jack and Paul were killed by their father in a house fire in Penistone in 2014.

Ms Throssell said: “Hosted by the Queen Consort, her speech resonated deep within as we all stood shoulder to shoulder, taking a moment to remember all who have been lost, who are not and never will be just letters and numbers on sheets of paper in a report.

“I have to hope, believe and keep walking on and holding on for as long as I can.”