A HIGH-PROFILE rift at Sentebale, the African charity co-founded by Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, has exploded into public view, with the organisation’s chair accusing the Duke of Sussex of bullying and attempting a cover-up.
The allegations surfaced days after both Harry and Seeiso resigned from the board amid escalating tensions between trustees and chairperson Sophie Chandauka. In a joint statement earlier this week, the co-founders cited an irreparable breakdown in relations with Chandauka, who took up the role in 2023, as the reason behind their departure.
The dispute has drawn attention from the UK’s Charity Commission, which confirmed to AFP it is reviewing concerns about Sentebale’s governance to determine possible regulatory action.
Chair accuses Prince of ‘bullying and harassment’
Speaking to UK’s Sky News, Chandauka alleged a culture of silence and fear within the charity, claiming board members were hesitant to challenge Prince Harry due to his public stature.
She said that her own efforts to raise concerns about harassment and misogyny within the organisation led to months of sustained pressure from the prince.
‘What Prince Harry wanted to do was to eject me,’ she alleged. ‘This went on for months through bullying and harassment.’
Chandauka also criticised Harry’s conduct during a 2024 charity polo fundraiser, accusing him of bringing a Netflix crew without prior approval and pushing her to issue a public statement supporting Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, after the event received negative press.
Trustees dispute claims, call it a ‘publicity stunt’
Some of the former trustees have pushed back against Chandauka’s narrative. Former trustee Kelello Lerotholi told Sky News he did not recognise claims of dysfunction.
A source close to the trustees told the BBC they ‘fully expected this publicity stunt’ after resigning en masse and demanding Chandauka step down.
Former UK politician and long-serving trustee Lynda Chalker, who resigned in November after nearly 20 years with the charity, told The Times she found Chandauka’s leadership style ‘almost dictatorial’ and disagreed with the direction she was taking Sentebale.
Legal action and ongoing investigations
Chandauka, a lawyer born in Zimbabwe, has reportedly taken her grievances to the UK’s High Court and alerted the Charity Commission. She insists her working relationship with Harry was once ‘great’ but deteriorated after she made her allegations, claiming he interfered with the internal investigation.
‘So it’s a cover-up, and the prince is involved,’ she claimed
Harry and Seeiso counter that Chandauka launched legal action to cling to her position after being asked to resign, and said they would share their own concerns with the Charity Commission.
Charity’s future in question
Prince Harry co-founded Sentebale in 2006 in memory of his mother, Princess Diana, to support vulnerable children affected by HIV and AIDS in Lesotho and Botswana. He previously described the charity as a lifelong commitment.
Chandauka, however, insists the charity can move forward without him. ‘Sentebale has a future. It’s here because of the people in Africa who do the work every single day,’ she said, adding that Harry only returned to Africa for the first time in five years at her invitation last year.
The name Sentebale, meaning forget me not in Sesotho, now stands at the centre of a bitter leadership fallout that threatens to overshadow its mission.
