Prince Harry has quit as patron of a charity he founded in southern Africa almost 20 years ago in honour of his mother Princess Diana after a bitter boardroom battle.
Harry founded Sentebale in 2006 with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho to help young people with HIV and Aids in the southern African kingdom and later Botswana.
‘Relations have soured’
But relations have soured between the UK-registered charity’s trustees and board chair Sophie Chandauka, who was appointed in 2023.
Harry and Seeiso decided to resign after the relationship “broke down beyond repair”, they said in a joint statement on Tuesday.
“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,” the statement said.
Several trustees have already left the organisation and requested Chandauka’s resignation.
It is not clear exactly what is behind the rift but Chandauka said she was being targeted after raising serious concerns about the charity.
Sentebale said in a statement to AFP that they had not received the resignations but confirmed that it was evolving from a “development organisation focused on addressing the impact of HIV/AIDS on the lives of children and young people in Lesotho and Botswana, to one that is addressing issues of youth health, wealth and climate resilience in Southern Africa”.
Regulator
In their statement, Harry and Seeiso said: “With heavy hearts, we have resigned from our roles as patrons of the organisation until further notice, in support of and 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 chair of the board broke down beyond repair, creating an untenable situation.”
Chandauka alleged she had faced a backlash after trying to air concerns about the charity’s governance.
The Zimbabwe-born lawyer said this was “the story of a woman who dared to blow the whistle about issues of poor governance, weak executive management, abuse of power, bullying, harassment, misogyny, misogynoir – and the coverup that ensued.
“For me, this is not a vanity project from which I can resign when I am called to account,” she said.
Chandauka said she had reported trustees to the UK’s Charity Commission regulator and taken her case to the High Court in London.
Harry and Seeiso said Chandauka had “sued the charity” to remain in her position after trustees asked her to step down, adding that they would also share their concerns with the Charity Commission.
The regulator told AFP it was “aware of concerns about the governance of Sentebale”.
“We are assessing the issues to determine the appropriate regulatory steps,” it said.
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