Buckingham Palace, the home of British royalty came under fire with cries of racism and being out of touch with the reality of modern Britain. Lady Susan Hussey is best known for being a trusted confident of the late Queen Elizabeth II and being one of the many Godparents of William, Prince of Wales. She has worked at Buckingham Palace since 1960, having held the quaint and totally English title of 'Woman of the Bedchamber'. Born in 1939 to the Earl and Countess Waldergrave, she is perhaps the epitome of the English nobility and establishment, married as she was to the former Director-General of the BBC. As a courtier she was often charged with helping new arrivals adjust to the ways of the Royal Household—these included Meghan Markle and Princess Diana. According to author Christopher Wilson writing in his book The Windsor Knot' Diana was not a great fan of Lady Susan. The role of lady-in-waiting was typically given to wealthy aristocrats who were not paid a salary but becoming 'Lady of the Household' was considered an extremely prestigious role. Fans of the upstairs/downstairs world of 'Downton Abbey' would recognise her privileged status as one close to the centre of British power. She had high profile roles at both the funerals of Prince Philip and Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth. All of that has been overshadowed by a recent turn of events at a social function at Buckingham Palace.

Lady Susan has resigned from her position as a result of her high-profile conversation with Ngozi Fulani, a charity founder, who was questioned about her background at the charity event at the palace reception... Ms Fulani had been invited to highlight her excellent work in supporting victims of domestic abuse. Repeatedly Lady Susan asked her, where are you from?' She was born, bred, and educated in South London, but the noble lady persisted as she demanded to know her heritage—awkwardly put as 'but where do you come from?' As a black, educated woman, Ms Fulani, said she was "totally stunned" by Prince William's godmother's repetitive comments. Lady Susan seems to be a kind and genuine person—I do not know, as I have never met her. However, her persistence and deep questioning do not reflect the inclusive society I know my homeland to be. It is not right that people of Irish or Italian heritage can be seen as more 'acceptable' than fellow nationals who have roots in Ghana, Pakistan or Jamaica. The debacle that has blown up has hurt a British Royal Family desperate to be seen as relevant in modern life. The palace described the remarks as "unacceptable and deeply regrettable". A spokesperson for Prince William said "racism has no place in our society. The comments were totally unacceptable, and it is right that the individual has stepped aside with immediate effect."

Across the pond, we have seen a former US president share a meal with a well-known white nationalist and anti-Semite. While we know the ex-President's views from four years as leader the free world, it is very frightening that so many leading members of his political party will not condemn his actions for fear of losing the support of the white extremist vote. Giving in to such bigotry is simply not good enough. The great Republican Party is veering further to the right, but the US public voted in the recent midterm elections in such a way that a workable majority that has been denied them. Extremists from the left or right do not have a place at the table of democracy.

We could excuse Lady Susan's line of questioning on the basis of her age and background. We can say that Ms Fulani is being oversensitive. We can blame it on a fallout from Brexit, and a lack of care for others in our harsh economic climate. We can blame everyone except ourselves: we all have a responsibility for building up our society. Each one of us must take a careful look in the mirror: could my attitudes or statements be construed as racist? Do I join in with a language of bitterness that sees the stranger as the enemy? Do I contribute to a culture of negative that seeks to belittle and harm others?

My family came here from Ireland in the late 1950's searching for employment and economic security. However, they were faced with racism when they came across with crudely written signs informing them that 'Irish, Blacks and dogs not wanted!' Among others, Italians, Poles, Irish and West Indians came to help revive the British economy that needed a strong workforce to survive after the Second World War had ended. Later other immigrants came from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh; the work force was strengthened by families arriving from Africa, the America's and all over Europe. Despite desperate attempt by successive right-wing acolytes ranging from the extremes of the British National Party, with their thuggish demonstrations of bigotry and hatred, to the more nuanced 'make Britain great again' of the Reform Party. The former Welsh international soccer player made it quite clear to Nigel Farage in a recent radio interview:

I believe in looking after the most vulnerable and I think that's what any good country should be doing, and we don't seem to be doing it, we seem to be loading it on the top. We should be looking at the bottom of the rung and the most vulnerable people of our society should be treated with the greatest respect and dignity and helped so we don't have that society.

However, you cut it, Britain, especially England, has always been a nation that has accepted, needed, and, perhaps, used others at different times in history. Immigration, whether it be forced upon us, as in the invasions of Vikings and Normans, or humanitarian in the welcome of the Huguenots and Russian Jews fleeing persecution, is part of the British way. DNA testing and popular TV discovery programmes show that there really is not such a thing as a pure English person. Even Lady Susan's family owe their heritage to a wonderful group of ancestors from Brittany—it begs the question, but where is she from? If I was asked that same question by Lady Susan, I could truthfully say 'Bolton, Mayo, Limerick, Coventry, or Boston!' I am proud that I am not a purebred, nor are my fellow travellers in British life—it is that very variety that makes our nation so Great. What we are seeing in the more right-wing and extreme members of our current government in their attitude towards immigration is, in my humble opinion, cruel and unkind—they undermine the very British values that should be obvious in our welcome and acceptance of others. Of course, we need a sound immigration policy, but do we need to build walls of hatred, or appeal to the lowest common denominator? Such an attitude actually empowers racism and makes racial profiling acceptable. If we look to the Gospel, we see Jesus being counter-cultural in his acceptance of the Romans, even their army of occupation. He ate with all, enjoying table fellowship with all manner of people. The hero of his most significant parable is a hated Samaritan. It is the same parable used by Pope Francis in his encyclical of lockdown, 'Fratelli Tutti': this letter to the world encouraged us to become the 'Good Samaritans' so needed in the crisis of pandemic. We cannot sit on the fence—like the Samaritan of the parable, we have to be involved in this world. It is an involvement that will see great joy and happiness, but, as Covid-19 vividly showed us, involvement can also bring deep pain and suffering. We are invited to make a positive choice for good. It is frightening to witness the rise of naked nationalism across a world that would rather build walls instead of bridges. We can conveniently sit on the fence like the 'priest' and 'Levi' in the story of the Good Samaritan.' In this outstanding encyclical, 'Fratelli Tutti', Pope Francis points to the foreigner, the Samaritan as the only one in the trio who offered more than just 'prayers and thoughts.' Christian teaching demands that we become involved in the needs and lives of others. This does lead to conflict, especially when we look at the actions of others and condemn them outright. We can be blind to our own actions—that plank in our own eyes can be very convenient! In judging Lady Susan, perhaps, we could listen to the tale told of an old monastery where a young monk committed a serious fault. The other monks were angry: this man was letting them down and they demanded their abbot call a meeting so that they could publicly discuss the crime and deal out punishment. The assembly of monks gathered and waited for the arrival of their superior. Eventually he came in, carrying an old basket filled with sand but full of holes. As he walked in, a trail of sand followed him. Addressing his community, the wise abbot saideverywhere I go I leave a trail of faults behind me—most of the time I cannot even see them. Now you want me to sit in judgement of my brother!'Rather like the gospel story of the woman taken in adultery, the monks slowly leave the room until only the young sinner was left. With the compassion of Jesus, the wise old abbot said simply to him, 'go in peace but sin no more If Lady Susan resigned because of her unacceptable comments, then perhaps others, in power, need to follow her example. Pope Francis reminds us

The Samaritan became a neighbour to the wounded Judean. By approaching and making himself present, he crossed all cultural and historical barriers. Jesus concludes the parable by saying: "Go and do likewise" (Lk 10:37). In other words, he challenges us to put aside all differences and, in the face of suffering, to draw near to others with no questions asked. I should no longer say that 'I have neighbours to help, but that I must myself be a neighbour to others.' (FT 81)

Author: Fr Gerry O'Shaughnessy SDB

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash