Ngozi Fulani Says Palace Didn't Properly Apologize After Racist Comments from Queen's Lady-in-Waiting

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Three months after Ngozi Fulani claimed Lady Susan Hussey asked her racially-charged questions at a Buckingham Palace event, the activist says the apology that followed didn't heal the hurt —and that she's been forced to step down as head of her charity because of the backlash.

Fulani, who runs Sistah Space, a London-based support group for African and Caribbean women affected by abuse, joined Good Morning Britain on Wednesday to share more about her side of the story. She argued that the apology she received in the fall wasn't sufficient and courtiers could have "intervened" to help protect her when the story made headlines.

"Who are they apologizing to? If you're sorry, tell me you're sorry. If you're not, it speaks for itself," she said.

Fulani was joined by her daughter, Djanomi Headley, who echoed that "the agreements that they have proposed that they have met or honored are not the agreements we set out with them." It's unclear what agreements Headley was referencing.

RELATED: Queen Elizabeth's Lady-in-Waiting Issues Apology Following Racist Incident at Palace Event

When GMB anchor Richard Madeley asked if Fulani would feel relief if she received a personal apology via email, she replied, "If you have to ask somebody for an apology, it's not an apology. I'm just making the point so that everybody understands. I don't see what is so hard to say, 'I'm sorry.' You sent me an invitation, so you know how to find me, you know how to say sorry. If you're sorry, then say sorry. If you're not, I get it. But when you make this apology to everybody, I don't know who you're apologizing to."

"It's International Women's Day, and the Sistah Space charity has suffered as a direct result," she continued. "When you think this [reception] was supposed to be for violence against women and girls — because of this incident, the violence has been directed to me."

Fulani also revealed air that she's stepping back as CEO of Sistah Space for the sake of the organization.

"The palace hasn't intervened, I think they could have. So what I've had to do, I've now temporarily stepped down as CEO of Sistah Space. I'm announcing that now because the service users and the community can't access us properly," she said. "This whole thing has cost us a fortune because we had to pay our own PR to stop the press from coming up. It was horrible."

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Despite the firestorm, Ngozi said she has no regrets about taking her story public.

"I'm about discussing and making aware of violence against women and girls. And I will go anywhere, at any time, to fight that cause. I didn't expect for that to be directed at me at all," she said.

In November 2022, Fulani attended a palace reception hosted by Queen Camilla to raise awareness of violence against women and girls during the U.N.'s 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign. Afterward, the activist went viral after tweeting that "a member of staff, Lady SH" touched her hair and asked racially-loaded questions about her heritage and background.

RELATED: Lady Susan Hussey Steps Out Alongside Royal Family Following Racist Incident at Palace

The same day, Buckingham Palace issued a statement confirming that the "individual involved" had resigned from her honorary post after making the "unacceptable and deeply regrettable comments," and that an investigation was launched. Lady Susan, 83, was a longstanding lady-in-waiting to the late Queen Elizabeth II and transitioned to the position of "lady of the household" following the monarch's death in September.

Two weeks after the racist incident at the reception, the palace announced that Lady Susan met with Fulani to apologize.

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Royal Communications via Getty Images Lady Susan Hussey and Ngozi Fulani

"At this meeting, filled with warmth and understanding, Lady Susan offered her sincere apologies for the comments that were made and the distress they caused to Ms Fulani," courtiers said, releasing a photo of the women sitting together. "Lady Susan has pledged to deepen her awareness of the sensitivities involved and is grateful for the opportunity to learn more about the issues in this area."

"Both Ms Fulani and Lady Susan ask now that they be left in peace to rebuild their lives in the wake of an immensely distressing period for them both. They hope that their example shows a path to resolution can be found with kindness, co-operation and the condemnation of discrimination wherever it takes root," the statement continued.

The palace added that the royal households are continuing "their focus on inclusion and diversity, with an enhanced programme of work which will extend knowledge and training programmes, examining what can be learnt from Sistah Space, and ensuring these reach all members of their communities." King Charles III, Queen Camilla and other royal family members were said to have "kept fully informed" and "are pleased that both parties have reached this welcome outcome."