Lady Susan Hussey, Queen's confidante and Prince William's godmother - profile

Lady Susan Hussey, who has stepped down from her role as a senior palace aide, was a key and trusted figure in the British royal household for decades.

The 83-year-old is godmother to Prince William, the Prince of Wales, and was one of Queen Elizabeth II's closest confidantes.

She was her longest-serving lady-in-waiting - with the title Woman of the Bedchamber - having first been recruited in 1960. Lady Hussey was also portrayed briefly in the current season of popular Netflix series, The Crown.

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Susan Katharine Hussey, Baroness Hussey of North Bradley, was born in 1939, the fifth and youngest daughter of the 12th Earl Waldegrave and Mary Hermione, Countess Waldegrave.

She is the sister of former Conservative cabinet minister, William Waldegrave, and her late husband, Marmaduke Hussey, was a former chairman of the BBC.

She has two children - one of whom, daughter Katharine, followed her mother into royal service, and serves as an official companion to Camilla, the Queen Consort.

Lady Susan Hussey gathers bouquets during a walkabout with the Queen on her Jubilee Tour, 2002

Lady Hussey started working for the Royal Family in the same year the Queen gave birth to her third child, Prince Andrew.

At first her role was to help answer letters, eventually becoming part of a close-knit inner circle of ladies-in-waiting with unrivalled knowledge of the workings of the palace.

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 had taken a "personal dislike" to Lady Susan.

The role of lady-in-waiting was typically given to wealthy aristocrats who were not paid a salary but becoming Woman of the Bedchamber was considered an extremely prestigious role.

Lady Susan was promoted to Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) in the 2013 Birthday Honours, and also received several long service awards for her faithful service to the Queen.

Lady Susan Hussey (far right) accompanying the Queen and Prince Philip at the State Opening of Parliament, 2004

She sat alongside the Queen in the royal Bentley on the journey to the funeral of Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh, in 2021, and led members of the royal household at her funeral at Westminster Abbey in September of the following year.

Buckingham Palace announced last week that Lady Hussey and the other former ladies-in-waiting who assist the Queen would help King Charles III to host events and would be known as "ladies of the household".

She resigned that role, and apologised, after she repeatedly asked a black British charity boss where she was from at a palace event for campaigners against sexual violence against women.