The news that Prince Harry has stepped down from his beloved charity, Sentebale, has come as a shock to many. However, one leading royal expert has reflected on her previous visits to Lesotho with Prince Harry and has declared that this latest move is “sad, but not entirely surprising” in a blunt five-word remark.
Looking back on her three trips to the area to see the work that Sentebale was doing to help African orphans, tackle poverty and AIDS in Lesotho and Botswana, The Daily Mail’s Royal Editor, Rebecca English, has written about why the news has not come as a great shock to her.
Sharing her experiences, Rebecca writes: “One afternoon I was sitting hunched on an earth bank overlooking what would be a new accommodation block, tapping out my story on my laptop, when I became aware of someone peering over my shoulder trying to read what I had written. It was Harry.”
“He had always been obsessed by what people were saying about him (and this time was no different), but he also wanted to speak to me about his passion for Lesotho and its children – and how determined he was to change their lives…”
Rebecca continues: “I returned on two further occasions to cover his visits out there… How sad, then, that all of his hard work has seemingly come to an end just one year short of Sentebale’s 20th anniversary amid a storm of controversy and fears for the charity’s survival.
“Sad, but not entirely surprising. Although he last visited Lesotho in October 2024, it was actually the first time the prince had actually been there for six years. Even his regular fundraising events for the charity, mostly involving polo, had notably slowed down.”
Sentebale, which means “forget-me-not” in Lesotho, was jointly set up by The Duke of Sussex and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho in 2006 in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales.
Rebecca’s memories of travelling to see the work the organisation was doing come after the charity’s chair, Dr Sophie Chandauka released a statement criticising those who “play the victim card and use the very press they disdain.”
Dr Chandauka has alleged there was a “cover-up” as she condemned the “weak executive management, abuse of power, bullying, harassment, misogyny, and misogynoir [discrimination against black women]”.
In a statement to the Daily Mail, Dr Chandauka said: “I am an African who has had the privilege of a worldclass 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…”
She went on: “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.”