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‘We must confront it’: Rishi Sunak breaks silence on Buckingham Palace racism row

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has weighed in on the allegations of racism made against Buckingham Palace, commenting that the "job is never done" when tackling racial abuse. 

While Mr Sunak refused to comment directly on the incident or the monarchy itself, the Prime Minister said that despite the country's "incredible progress" in dealing with racism, we must continue to "confront it" whenever we see it. 

He added: "It's right that we continually learn the lessons and move to a better future."

The palace was accused of "institutional racism" by black domestic violence campaigner Ngozi Fulani, who claimed she was repeatedly interrogated about where she "really came from" by Lady Susan Hussey, an old friend of the late Queen's, at a charity event hosted by Queen Consort Camilla.

The PM told broadcasters: "It wouldn't be right for me to comment on matters to do with the royal palace. As we've all seen, they've acknowledged what's happened and made an apology for it."

"As I've talked about in the past, I have experienced racism in my life.

"But what I am pleased to say is some of the things that I experienced when I was a kid and a young person I don't think would happen today because our country has made incredible progress in tackling racism. But the job is never done and that's why when whenever we see it we must confront it."

Rishi Sunak breaks silence on Buckingham Palace racism row

Rishi Sunak breaks silence on Buckingham Palace racism row (Image: Getty)

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BRITAIN-BELGIUM-JORDAN-DENMARK-UN-ROYAL-WOMEN-VIOLENCE-RACISM

Ms Fulani was at an event hosted by Queen Camilla when the incident occurred (Image: Getty)

Ms Fulani is the founder and chief executive of Sistah Space, a charity that supports black women suffering from domestic violence. She had been invited to Buckingham Palace for an event which focused on preventing violence against women. 

She said Lady Susan repeatedly asked her: "Where are you from?"

The charity boss added that even when Ms Fulani stated she was from Hackney, the household staff member kept challenging her, even saying: "What part of Africa are you from?"

Ms Fulani told Good Morning Britain of the event: "Although I didn't experience physical violence, what I feel I experienced was a form of abuse."

READ MORE: Buckingham Palace had ‘direct discussion’ with Ngozi Fulani [REVEAL]

PM Rishi Sunak Attends Prime Minister's Questions

Mr Sunak said he had faced racism himself, and that it must be confronted (Image: Getty)

Ngozia Fulani

Ms Fulani said she felt "interrogated" during the incident (Image: Twitter / @sistah_space)

Describing the exchange, Ms Fulani said: "I was stood next to two other women - black women - and she (Lady Susan) just made a beeline for me, and she took my locks and moved it out of the way so that she could see my name badge.

"That's a no-no. I wouldn't put my hands in someone's hair, and culturally it's not appropriate".

Ms Fulani explained she tried to give Lady Susan Hussey the benefit of the doubt when the 83-year-old started questioning her, saying she was "thinking to myself, is it that she - because she keeps asking me the same question - could it be that she can't hear me well? Because you have to consider so many things when you're talking to someone who may be older than you...

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"But it soon dawned on me very quickly that this was nothing to do with her capacity to understand, but this is her trying to make me really denounce my British citizenship."

She also told the Independent that she felt her experience was indicative of unchecked "institutional racism" at Buckingham Palace.

The row has dominated headlines just as Prince William, godson of Lady Susan, heads to the US with Kate for a three-day tour of the Boston area.

The trip marks their first in eight years and was hotly anticipated - but following the dramatic row and the trailer for Harry and Meghan's Netflix docuseries dropping concurrently, the visit runs the risk of being overshadowed.