Prince Harry could face action regarding allegations against him by the chairwoman of an African charity he has been in a row with, it has emerged. The Duke of Sussex was cleared of any allegations towards him in a bombshell Charity Commission report, which however criticised Harry and Sentebale for going public with the dispute.
Harry was involved in a bitter row with Sentebale’s chairwoman, Sophie Chandauka, which included various “claims and counter-claims of racism, bullying and mismanagement” and resulted in him leaving his post as patron back in March. The prince founded Sentebale in honour of his late mother, Princess Diana, in 2006, with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, to help young people and children in southern Africa, particularly those living with HIV and Aids.
However, earlier this year, both princes stepped down after several trustees left the organisation following a dispute with Ms Chandauka and requesting her resignation.
Ms Chandauka had issued a statement in which she alleged there had been “poor governance, weak executive management, abuse of power, bullying, harassment, misogyny, misogynoir”.
She appeared to criticise Harry for going to the press and for what she described as playing “the victim card”. The chairwoman also claimed the duke had tried to “eject” her from the charity through “bullying” and “harassment”.
But the Charity Commission, which cannot investigate individual allegations of bullying, stressed in its findings that it found no evidence of “widespread or systemic bullying or harassment, including misogyny or misogynoir at the charity.”
It said that “the Commission has acknowledged the strong perception of ill treatment felt by a number of parties to the dispute and the impact this may have had on them personally”.
It also announced that it found no evidence of “‘overreach’ by either the chair or the Duke of Sussex as patron, but the Commission is critical of the charity’s lack of clarity in delegations to the chair, which allowed for misunderstandings to occur.”
The Charity Commission made one complaint regarding the Sentebale row, saying that it should not have been made public and should have been resolved internally.
The watchdog said in its review that it was “not satisfied that public statements made to the media, and public criticism made in television interviews, were conducted in a way that served the charity’s best interests”.
Following the release of the findings, a source close to Harry said he has been left emotionally devastated by the events surrounding the boardroom battle.
They said: This has been emotionally absolutely devastating for Prince Harry and (Sentebale co-founder) Prince Seeiso (of Lesotho). What’s been perpetrated over the last few months is nothing short of a hostile takeover.”
However, in its statement, Sentebale appeared to suggest allegations made by Dr Chandauka of bullying, harassment and misogyny at the charity – which the commission found no evidence of – may be pursued against individuals through “avenues more appropriate”.
Sentebale said in statement: “The Charity Commission is explicitly clear, including in its public guidance, that it is not the commission’s responsibility to adjudicate or mediate internal disputes. This would include individual allegations of bullying, harassment, misogyny, misogynoir etc.
“As a result, the commission has not investigated any individual allegations and therefore has not made any findings in relation to individuals, including Prince Harry. The issues not investigated by the commission can and may be dealt with through avenues more appropriate than the commission.”