The conflict between Prince Harry and Dr. Sophie Chandauka, the charity’s chairwoman, has gotten even more heated since he abruptly left in his late mother’s name.
Prince Harry is accused of “bullying and harassment,” according to Sophie Chandauka.
Prince Harry’s shock decision to quit as patron of a charity he founded in his late mother’s memory sent shockwaves around the world. But almost a week on from the leaked announcement, an extraordinary war of words between the Sussex camp, former trustees and the chairwoman of the charity Sentebale has erupted. And it’s rocked the organisation to the core.
After releasing a joint statement with Sentebale’s co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho to resign their patronages, Dr Chandauka immediately hit back alleging there had been “poor governance, weak executive management, abuse of power, bullying, harassment, misogyny, misogynoir” at the organisation – claims that have been strenuously denied.
But the row has now taken an even more explosive turn with Dr Chandauka making even more bombshell claims in a series of interviews -and the Duchess of Sussex is in the firing line. Here we look at how the hostile war of words has unfolded…
Harry’s scathing resignation
Harry took his gap year more than 20 years ago, and it turned out to be one of his most pivotal experiences. Aged just 19, he headed to the tiny African kingdom of Lesotho for two months. He visited herd boys who live in remote mountain areas and visit Aids orphans who had been living in harsh conditions.
Two years later – in memory of Princess Diana – he then set up Sentebale with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho to help young people and children in southern Africa, particularly those living with HIV and Aids. Its name signifies “forget-me-not,” Harry’s favorite flower, according to its name.
The prince made several visits to the Kingdom over the years to see the charity in action and was one of a small number of private patronages he retained after he was stripped of his royal patronages and honorary military positions by the late Queen in 2021 after he and wife Meghan quit the UK.
Speaking when he launched the organisation in Lesotho nearly 20 years ago, he said: “You’ll be surprised. In 25 years, you’ll notice a significant change when you return to this location. The young prince added: “As far as I’m concerned, I’m committed for the rest of my life”. However, Harry sensationally left his position last Tuesday after nearly 20 years as patron, along with co-founder Prince Seeiso, in a row within the organization, claiming that the decision had caused him to be “heartbroken” and “devastated”
In an extraordinary statement, the co-founders backed the departing trustees of the charity and said they had resigned as patrons until further notice. They remarked, “We founded Sentebale in honor of our mothers almost 20 years ago. Sentebale means ‘ forget-me-not ‘ in Sesotho, the local language of Lesotho, and it’s what we’ve always promised for the young people we’ve served through this charity.
“Nothing different happened today.” With heavy hearts, we have resigned from our roles as Patrons of the organisation until further notice, in support of and in solidarity with the board of trustees who have had to do the same.
“It is devastating that the relationship between the charity’s trustees and the board chair broke down beyond repair, leaving us with an untenable situation. These trustees acted in the best interest of the charity in asking the chair to step down, while keeping the wellbeing of staff in mind”.
Charity chair backs up
But just hours later, Dr Chandauka fired back in a blistering statement. Without naming Harry, she referred to people who “play the victim card and use the very press they disdain, to harm people who have the courage to challenge their conduct”.
She claimed there had been “poor governance, weak executive management, abuse of power, bullying, harassment, misogyny, misogynoir.” She said: “Everything I do at Sentebale is in pursuit of the integrity of the organisation, its mission, and the young people we serve.
Regardless of social status or financial circumstances, my actions are guided by the principles of equality and fairness for all. There are people in this world who behave as though they are above the law and mistreat people, and then play the victim card and use the very press they disdain to harm people who have the courage to challenge their conduct. “
sluggish statement
But that wasn’t the end of the row. In response to rumor that Harry had been “trn apart” by his decision to leave the Sentebale charity, the Sentebale charity posted a rambling statement on its social media accounts on Wednesday morning.
The statement not only references Harry and his co-founder, but also played down the role of trustees, while praising” people in the field who are advancing the work”.
It says:” It’s the incredible teams on the ground – our staff and local partners – who bring our mission to life every day, walking alongside the children and young people we serve. Even though trustees are essential for good governance and regulation and patrons, especially founders, are honorable, it is the people in the field who, regardless of circumstance, advance the work.
“Our commitment to supporting youth in southern Africa with better health, stronger livelihoods, and climate resilience remains as strong as ever. They continue to work because they “deserve nothing less.”
Toxic claims
Fast-forward to Saturday, Dr Chandauka then gave an interview to the Financial Times, where she claimed Harry’s ‘toxic’ brand in the wake of his Netflix show and bombshell memoir, where he had railed against the Royal Family, had affected the charity.
She claimed the controversy surrounding Harry’s move to the US had affected the charity’s ability to diversify its donor base and make senior hires. She said, “When you start interviewing people, they start asking questions about, well, these mixed messages around the patron.”
She also accused Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, a co-founder, of trying to “force a failure” of the organization before turning themselves in as its saviors. Dr Chandauka also defended her record and issued a striking message stating: “The team is resolved that Sentebale will live on, with or without you”.
Meghan implicated
In that same interview, Harry’s wife Meghan also became embroiled in the row by the charity chief. She claimed tension with Harry first stemmed back to April 2024, when she joined the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at a charity polo match. At that event, footage was captured of Meghan seemingly gesturing for Dr Chandauka to stand away from Harry during a photo call.
The charity’s director claims that after receiving negative media coverage, the Sussex team asked her to publicly defend Meghan. “I said no, we’re not setting a precedent by which we’re becoming an extension of the Sussex PR machine.”
Netflix row
In an extraordinary interview with Sir Trevor Phillips on Sky News, Dr. Chandauka goes further, suggesting that Meghan caused a stir when she showed up with Serena Williams and that allowing his Netflix show to film a Sentebale fund-raiser almost destroyed the event.
Describing the fundraising polo event in Miami last year, Dr Chandauka claimed: “We had a very generous family that was happy for us to use their polo grounds at a material discount. And then, about a month before the event was about to take place, Prince Harry called the team and said: ‘I’m doing a Netflix show, and I would love to bring a camera crew.”
No one involved in the fundraiser had consented to appear on a TV show, according to Dr. Chandauka. Another problem was that the venue owners allegedly now saw the event as a commercial undertaking and named a high price, she said. She continued, “We couldn’t afford it, so we’ve lost the venue.” Another venue was found but more chaos ensued when Harry’s wife Meghan, 43, decided at the last minute to turn up and brought 23-time grand slam tennis champion Ms Williams. “
Dr. Chandauka once said, “We would have been very excited if we had known sooner,” but we didn’t. The choreography went badly on stage because we had too many people on stage. The presenter questioned Dr. Chandauka about Harry being the “No1 risk” for the charity on Trevor Phillips’ Sunday Morning show. She said:” Yes”.
claims of bullying
Elsewhere in the explosive Sky News interview, she accused Harry of trying to ‘eject’ her from Sentebale through ‘bullying’ and ‘harassment’. She added: “Really, what Prince Harry wanted to do was to eject me from the organisation. It went on for months through bullying, harassment.” In response, Sir Trevor pressed: “What you’re essentially saying is that the Duke of Sussex is guilty of harassment and bullying and improper conduct in the governance of the charity?”
Dr Chandauka replied that Harry’s release of a” damaging piece of news to the outside world “amounted to an attack on her and was” an example of harassment and bullying at scale”.
Baseless attack
Since Dr Chandauka’s latest interviews, representatives for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have not commented. However, a source close to Sentebale’s former trustees and supporters denounced her remarks as “publicity stunt.” They added:” They remain firm in their resignation, for the good of the charity, and look forward to the adjudication of the truth. “
Another source with detailed knowledge of the charity claims Dr Chandauka has herself been accused of bullying staff and manipulating the minutes of board meetings. The source said one report being looked at by the Charity Commission will include concerns regarding Chandauka’s governance as well as her “manipulation of minutes to endorse her false claims of bullying and misogyny”, reports The Times.
Meghan breaks the silence
Meanwhile, Meghan ignored the bitter row when she took to Instagram yesterday with a new post. Marking Mother’s Day in the UK, she posted a photograph of a lemon cake and wrote: “Our family tradition. Mothering Sunday in the UK.” The short caption alludes to her time in the UK before the couple quit as working royals in favour of a life in the States.
Meanwhile, the Charity Commission said it was” aware of concerns about the governance “of Sentebale”. The commission continued, “We are assessing the issues to determine the appropriate regulatory steps.”
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