Lady Susan Hussey, who joined the late queen’s household in 1960 as a lady-in-waiting and became one of the most influential courtiers of her reign, made headlines in July after a bombshell royal biography claimed she spoke disparagingly about the relationship of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Hussey is a close friend of Charles and was made godmother to Prince William in 1982. She was married to the former Chairman of the Board of Governors of the BBC Marmaduke Hussey and was portrayed by Haydn Gwynne in the fifth season of The Crown.
U.K. newspaper The Times reported on Sunday that despite Queen Camilla’s decision to discontinue the centuries-old tradition of having ladies-in-waiting (official companions who accompany the queen to public events and organize her correspondence), Hussey and two other ladies who served Elizabeth had been given new positions as “Ladies of the Household.”
Lady Susan Hussey, Dame Mary Morrison and Dame Annabel Whitehead will be called upon from time to time, according to reports, to assist the new king in “hosting formal occasions at Buckingham Palace.”
Hussey was on duty for Tuesday’s state banquet held at the palace for President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, and the COP27 climate reception on November 4.
Despite being Prince William’s godmother, it is her association with the king’s younger son, Prince Harry, that brought Hussey into public consciousness.
In his biography of the Sussexes, Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War Between the Windsors, released in July, author Tom Bower wrote that the courtier had given a less than favorable view of the couple’s 2017 engagement.
“In London, Lady Susan Hussey had shortly before [New Year] enjoyed lunch with a group of theatre executives and directors,” Bower wrote.
“While discussing the possibility that Meghan might become associated with the National Theatre after the wedding, Hussey became unexpectedly serious about the couple’s future.
“‘That will all end in tears,’ warned Hussey. ‘Mark my words.’”
Bower also claims that Hussey was among a group of aides personally selected by the queen to help Meghan adjust to the rigors and expectations of royal life.
“Hussey and other close companions of the Queen,” Bower wrote, “visited Meghan in Nottingham Cottage to offer help and advice.”
At the time of the book’s publication, Buckingham Palace refused to comment, in line with the policy on other such biographies, as did representatives of Harry and Meghan.
The duchess, however, had seemed to contradict this account in 2021 during her landmark interview with Oprah Winfrey, in which she spoke about her unpreparedness as an American entering the British royal family.
“I would say I went into it naively because I didn’t grow up knowing much about the royal family,” Meghan told Winfrey, when asked about entering into a marriage and a new job at the same time.
“I didn’t fully understand what the job was: What does it mean to be a working royal? What do you do? What does that mean?
“[Harry] and I were very aligned on our cause-driven work. That was part of our initial connection. But there was no way to understand what the day-to-day was going to be like, and it’s so different because I didn’t romanticize any element of it.”
With the news that Hussey is to be retained at the palace, reports also state that, though Queen Camilla has decided not to have ladies-in-waiting, she has created the new role of “Queen’s Companion.” This will be a title held by six of her close friends who will accompany her on rotation during the select engagements throughout the year that she is not already with the king for.
The role is less demanding and less frequent than the lady-in-waiting model used by the late queen.
Newsweek approached Buckingham Palace and representatives of the duke and duchess of Sussex for comment.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We’d love to hear from you.
