Sophie Chandauka, chairwoman of the charity Sentebale, has publicly accused Prince Harry of “harassment and bullying at scale” during a Sunday interview on Sky News, following his resignation as patron along with co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho and the board of trustees last week.
Newsweek has reached out to representatives of the Duke of Sussex and Sentebale for comment as well as Chandauka’s legal team.
Why It Matters
This dispute threatens the stability of Sentebale, a charity established in 2006 to help young people in Lesotho and Botswana tackle issues including HIV/AIDS, wealth inequality and climate resilience.
The high-profile resignation of both royal co-founders raises questions about the organization’s future and highlights alleged governance conflicts within the charity.
What To Know
Sentebale was co-founded by Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso to honor their late mothers, Britain’s beloved Princess Diana and Lesotho’s Queen Mamohato.
The current conflict centers on governance issues, with Chandauka claiming Prince Harry “unleashed ‘the Sussex machine'” against her by publicly announcing his resignation without properly informing the charity’s leadership.
In their joint statement to Britain’s Press Association, Harry and Seeiso said the relationship between the charity’s trustees and the chair “broke down beyond repair, creating an untenable situation.” They stated that trustees had asked Chandauka to step down “while keeping the wellbeing of staff in mind,” but she allegedly sued Sentebale “to remain in this voluntary position.”
Chandauka has characterized the situation differently, suggesting she “dared to blow the whistle” on issues including “poor governance, weak executive management, abuse of power, bullying, harassment, misogyny, misogynoir—and the cover-up that ensued.”
She noted in her Sky News interview that her experience with Harry himself was “fantastic”, and they had a “great relationship,” but claimed some board members “completely disrupted my meetings because they thought that they could get away with mistreating a woman.”
What People Are Saying
Sophie Chandauka, Sentebale Chairwoman, in an interview on Sky’s Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips: “Can you imagine what that attack has done for me, on me, and the 540 individuals in the Sentebale organizations and their family? That is an example of bullying and harassment at scale.”
Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso in a joint statement said the relationship between trustees and chair “broke down beyond repair, creating an untenable situation.”
Kelello Lerotholi, former Sentebale trustee, told Sky News: “The general tone and conduct of the board has been one of respect for each other… So this all came as a shock to me when I heard.”
Britain’s Charity Commission, in a statement, said they are: “Aware of concerns about the governance of Sentebale” and “assessing the issues to determine the appropriate regulatory steps.”
What Happens Next
Newsweek previously confirmed the existence of a lawsuit, filed on March 5 by Chandauka, suing the charity. A spokesperson for the Charity Commission told Newsweek: “We can confirm that we are aware of concerns about the governance of Sentebale. We are assessing the issues to determine the appropriate regulatory steps.”
Britain’s Charity Commission is now involved, reviewing the governance concerns raised by both parties.
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