King Charles Retains Courtier Who Said Sussex Marriage Would 'End in Tears'
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.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle photographed during celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee, June 3, 2022. And (inset top) King Charles III, November 3, 2022. And (inset bottom) Lady Susan Hussey, November 20, 2014. The king has appointed Hussey as Lady of the Household, according to reports.
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.'"
Lady Susan Hussey (circled) photographed with members of the royal family including Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, Princess Diana, Prince William and Prince Harry at Windsor Castle, March 9, 1997.
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."
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle photographed with Oprah Winfrey. The duchess told the TV interviewer how unprepared she had been for royal life, during the Sussexes' landmark tell-all interview in March 2021.
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