Prince Harry and Dr. Sophie Chandauka on a panel (Image: Jason Koerner/Getty Images for Sentebale)
A bitter dispute has erupted within Prince Harry’s beloved charity, Sentebale, which he co-founded in memory of his late mother, Princess Diana.
The charity is dedicated to supporting young people affected by HIV and AIDS in Lesotho and Botswana, and was set up in 2006 alongside Prince Seeiso of Lesotho.
At the centre of the controversy is a disagreement between the Duke of Sussex and the charity’s chair, Dr. Sophie Chandauka, who has now publicly detailed alleged disagreements behind the scenes.
It is reported the initial dispute led to Prince Harry’s departure from the charity, a decision that is said to have been extremely difficult for him.
Here is Express.co.uk’s breakdown of the events that have unfolded:
READ MORE: Prince Harry’s bombshell phone call that appears to have sparked Sentebale row
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When did Prince Harry decide to step down from Sentable?
On March 25, the Duke of Sussex was one of a number of trustees of the Lesotho-based charity, Sentebale, to resign over what he called “untenable” leadership.
Harry issued a statement saying he was “truly heartbroken” to be resigning as a trustee of the charity he founded in 2006 in memory of his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, with his co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, over a dispute with the organisation’s chair, Dr Sophie Chandauka.
The chair hit back saying they had unsuccessfully tried to oust her because she “dared to blow the whistle about issues of poor governance, weak executive management, abuse of power, bullying, harassment, misogyny, misogynoir – and the cover-up that ensued”.
ISPS Handa Polo Cup 2023 (Image: Matt Jelonek/Getty Images for Sentebale)
Who has resigned?
Prince Harry has stepped down, alongside his co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho.
Trustees Timothy Boucher, Harry’s former aide Mark Dyer, Audrey Kgosidintsi, who runs Botswana-based public health organisations, Dr Kelello Lerotholi, who was responsible for local funding, and Damian West, who has worked as a consultant in Africa.
What was Prince Harry’s and Prince Seeiso’s statement?
Meghan turned up unannounced to the polo game, claims chair (Image: Jason Koerner/Getty Images for Sentebale))
The pair said in a joint statement: “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.
“In turn, she sued the charity to remain in this voluntary position, further underscoring the broken relationship. We thank all the trustees for their service over the years and are truly heartbroken they’ve had to follow through with this act.
“What’s transpired is unthinkable. We are in shock that we have to do this, but we have a continued responsibility to Sentebale’s beneficiaries, so we will be sharing all of our concerns with the Charity Commission as to how this came about.
“Although we may no longer be patrons, we will always be its founders, and we will never forget what this charity is capable of achieving when it is in the right care.”
How did Dr Sophie Chandauka reply?
In a statement, Dr Sophie Chandauka replied: “I am an African who has had the privilege of a world-class education and career. I will not be intimidated. I must stand for something. I stand for those other women who do not have the ways and means.
“I chose to join Sentebale first and foremost as a proud African who understands that, in the spirit of ubuntu: to whom much is given, much is expected. Everything I do at Sentebale is in pursuit of the integrity of the organisation, its mission, and the young people we serve. My actions are guided by the principles of fairness and equitable treatment for all, regardless of social status or financial means.
“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.
“Discerning readers will ask themselves: why would the Chair of the Board report her own Trustees to the Charity Commission? Why would the High Court of England and Wales accept her application to hear the matter at all if the case had no merit?
“Well, because beneath all the victim narrative and fiction that has been syndicated to press is the story of a woman who dared to blow the whistle.”
How has the row escalated?
After the princes’ and the chair’s statement, Chandauka appeared on Sky News on Sunday (March 30), and accused Harry of an “unleashing of the Sussex machine” and engaging with his powerful PR team.
In a statement, she said: “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.”
The chair had said she had previously had a “great relationship” with Harry, whose involvement she said she welcomed, but claimed he had caused problems. This included claims he invited a Netflix crew to a polo tournament in Miami last year without clearing it properly, which led to a new venue needing to be found as it became a “commercial enterprise”.
She also claimed Harry enabled his wife, Meghan Markle, to come to the event without any notice, along with an unannounced celebrity, which in turn lead to negative press as the charity was unprepared for the staging, which in turn caught media attention.