After Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho abruptly left as its patron, the Charity Commission began an internal dispute with the chairwoman of the organization.
Prince Harry has hit out at a report following a probe into the Sentebale charity he co-founded after a bitter boardroom clash.
The Charity Commission investigated Sentebale after founders Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho dramatically quit as its patrons in support of a group of trustees, who resigned following a dispute with board of trustees chairwoman, Dr Sophie Chandauka.
The watchdog criticised all parties in the fallout for allowing it to play out publicly and described how all trustees contributed to a “missed opportunity” to resolve the issues that led to the serious disagreement that risked undermining public trust in charities generally.
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In an effort to remove her, Dr. Chandauka publicly fought off accusations of bullying and harassment.
And Harry’s representative criticized the findings, claiming that “the report falls troublingly short in many ways, primarily because the children who rely on Sentebale’s support will not be borne by her.”
Meanwhile, a source close to Harry told The Times that he was “devastated that the chair has been allowed to succeed with a hostile takeover”. They added that the commission was “sitting so far on the fence that their feet are not even touching the ground”.
According to Dr. Chandauka, the unanticipated negative media campaign that the resignation candidates launched on March 24, 2025 has caused unimaginable harm and provides an insight into the unacceptable behavior displayed in private.
We are emerging stronger, more focused, better governed, boldly ambitious, and with our dignity preserved because we are not just grateful for our survival but also because we are stronger.
The regulator reported that the dispute erupted after Sentebale’s trustees requested in 2023 to introduce a new fundraising strategy, with some of the trustees, Harry, and Dr. Chandauka.
Following the resignations, Harry and Seeiso released a joint statement in March. They said the trustees “acted in the best interest of the charity by asking the chair to step down “while” she sued the charity to keep in this voluntary position, further highlighting the broken relationship.”
Dr. Chandauka retaliated in a television interview, accusing the duke of being “in a” cover-up of an investigation into bullying, harassment, and misogyny at the organization, and claiming that the charity had experienced a decline in donors since Harry moved to the US.
The regulator acknowledged that some of the participants had a strong sense of maltreatment and that some involved had no idea how bad some individual allegations of bullying were handled. However, the regulator found no evidence of systemic bullying or harassment at the charity, including misogyny or misogynoir.
In order to assist young people and children in southern Africa, particularly those who are living with HIV and Aids, Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho founded the charity Sentebale in 2006. Harry would find other ways to help the children Sentebale supports in Lesotho and Botswana, according to the duke’s spokesperson.
Unsurprisingly, the Commission doesn’t find any wrongdoing in the case of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Sentebale’s co-founder and former patron. Additionally, they discovered no evidence of widespread misogyny, harassment, or misogyny at the charity, as the current Chair falsely claimed.
He added: “As custodians of this once brilliant charity, Prince Seeiso, Prince Harry and the former board of trustees helped grow Sentebale from the seed of an idea to – like its namesake – a flowering force for good.
“With the original mission of Sentebale firmly in mind – and in honour of the legacy he and Prince Seeiso began – the Duke of Sussex will now focus on finding new ways to continue supporting the children of Lesotho and Botswana.”
The case sought to determine whether the charity’s former and current trustees, including the chair, performed their duties under charitable law, despite the commission’s role as regulator being to not hear internal charity disputes.
After conducting its regulatory compliance investigation, the commission discovered no evidence that Harry or the chairwoman had “overreach” in their respective patron roles.
A trustees’ recommendations are contained in a regulatory action plan that the commission has released, including implementing an internal dispute policy, improving the charity’s complaints and whistle-blowing procedures, and making delegation of authority delegation procedures clearer.
Senior executives have been based in southern Africa, according to Sentebale, who stated in a statement that the company has grown closer to its operations since the start of the year.
With a new internal complaints procedure in place, a new code of conduct for trustees, and a new method for delegating responsibilities, it claimed the action plan had been in line with the board’s thinking, including any potential future patron relationships.
Dr Chandauka said: “Despite the recent turbulence, we will always be inspired by the vision of our founders, Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso, who established Sentebale in memory of their precious mothers, Princess Diana and Queen ‘Mamohato.
Please join us as Sentebale recovers, renews, and rises in line with the hopes and expectations of the upcoming generation, to all who believe in our mission.
Source: Mirror
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