Prince Harry Quits His Own African Charity After It Descends Into Chaos

Prince Harry has officially stepped down from Sentebale, the African charity he co-founded in 2006. Harry called the decision “devastating,” a sentiment shared by his longtime friend and co-founder, Prince Seeiso of Lesotho.

According to Harry and Seeiso, the relationship between the board of trustees and the charity’s chairwoman, Dr. Sophie Chandauka, completely broke down, leaving them no choice but to walk away. “What’s transpired is unthinkable. We are in shock that we have to do this,” their joint statement read.

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Sentebale, which means “forget-me-not” in Sesotho, was founded to support young people affected by HIV/AIDS in Lesotho and Southern Africa. It was meant to be part of Harry’s ongoing tribute to his late mother, Princess Diana, whose humanitarian work on HIV/AIDS was well documented. But nearly two decades later, the charity’s leadership has descended into a legal battle after Chandauka sued trustees who questioned her leadership.

Harry and Seeiso weren’t the only ones to leave. Longtime trustee Mark Dyer, a key figure in introducing Harry to Lesotho in the first place, also resigned. They supported the trustees, who “acted in the best interest of the charity,” when they requested Chandauka step down. She sued the organization to keep her voluntary position.

Chandauka, however, paints a very different picture. In a statement, she claimed she was standing up to a culture of “poor governance, weak executive management, abuse of power, bullying, harassment, misogyny, and misogynoir.” She also accused her critics of using the press to undermine her.

Meanwhile, the UK’s Charity Commission has stepped in, investigating Sentebale’s governance to assess whether regulatory action is needed.