Prince Harry's charity row explained: Why he left Sentebale and what happens now
The Duke of Sussex has left a charity he set up in 2006 for children with HIV and AIDS. But why did he leave, what have different sides said about the exit - and what happens now?
Friday 4 April 2025 14:50, UK
Prince Harry has been back in the headlines, this time in connection with a charity聽he co-founded in memory of Princess Diana.
He stepped down from Sentebale alongside fellow co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho.
The pair started the charity in 2006 to help young people with HIV in Lesotho and Botswana.
But why did they leave, what have different sides said about the exit - and what is happening now?
Why did Harry leave?
The Duke of Sussex and Prince Seeiso announced they were stepping down from the charity on Tuesday 25 March in support of trustees who left after a dispute with chairperson Dr Sophie Chandauka.
The former trustees who left were Mark Dyer - a mentor and close friend to Harry - Timothy Boucher, Audrey Kgosidintsi, Kelello Lerotholi and Damian West, who said they were stepping down as a "result of our loss in trust and confidence in the chair of the board".
They did not specify what the dispute with Dr Chandauka was about. According to The Times, it arose over a decision to focus fundraising in Africa.
In a joint statement announcing their departure, Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso said: "Nearly 20 years ago, we founded Sentebale in honour of our mothers. Sentebale means 'forget-me-not' in Sesotho, the local language of Lesotho, and it's what we've always promised for the young people we've served through this charity.
"Today is no different. 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.
"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, so we will be sharing all of our concerns with the Charity Commission as to how this came about."
What was the response?
In her own statement, Dr Chandauka said she would not be intimidated, adding: "For me, this is not a vanity project from which I can resign when I am called to account.
"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.
"There are people in this world who behave as though they are above the law and mistreat people, and then play the victim card and use the very press they disdain to harm people who have the courage to challenge their conduct."
She said she had reported the trustees to the Charity Commission and that a UK court had issued an injunction to stop them from removing her.
Dr Chandauka added: "Beneath all the victim narrative and fiction that has been syndicated to the press is 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 cover-up that ensued.
"I could be anyone. I just happen to be an educated woman who understands that the law will guide and protect me.
"I will say nothing further on this matter at this time."
Dr Chandauka makes further claims
Five days after the prince announced he was stepping down, Dr Chandauka was interviewed on Sky's Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips.
She started by saying: "The only reason I'm here... is because at some point on Tuesday, Prince Harry authorised the release of a damaging piece of news to the outside world without informing me or my country directors, or my executive director.
"And can you imagine what that attack has done for me, on me and the 540 individuals in the Sentebale organisations and their family?
"That is an example of harassment and bullying at scale."
She went on to make several other accusations regarding Prince Harry.
Here is a summary of each:
The charity lost sponsors and donors when the Sussexes left the UK, but she wasn't allowed to discuss the problem.
She said that when she asked why there was a loss of sponsors at the time the Sussexes left the UK, she was told: "It's an uncomfortable conversation to have with Prince Harry in the room."
"What you discovered was essentially, donors were walking because of the prince's reputation?" asked Trevor Phillips.
"Yes," Dr Chandauka replied.
She described Harry as the "number one risk" to the charity.
Dr Chandauka was asked if the Duke of Sussex is the "number one risk" to the charity, and replied "yes".
She claimed he tried to "eject" her from the organisation
Dr Chandauka said the prince and his team briefed sponsors she had been speaking to "against me and the charity".
"That is a sure way of getting me out if it's seen as though I'm not being successful in my fundraising efforts," she said.
"There were board meetings where members of the executive team and external strategic advisers were sending me messages saying, 'Should I interrupt?', 'Should I stop this?' 'Oh my gosh, this is so bad'," she said.
"In fact, our strategic adviser for fundraising then sent me a message saying she wouldn't want to ever attend any more board meetings or bring her colleagues because of the treatment."
When she didn't leave, Dr Chandauka suggested Prince Harry tried to force the failure of the charity he set up in his mother's memory.
She said he would appoint board members without consulting her
Dr Chandauka gave an example of how she said the prince would behave in board meetings.
"Prince Harry decides, on this specific occasion, that he wants to appoint an individual to the board, with immediate effect, without having talked to me," she said.
"His proxy on the board says, 'Yes, I second that motion'. The third proxy on the board says, 'Welcome to the board, Brian'.
"And everybody's shocked and quiet, but this is what happens when the prince is in the room and no one has the courage to speak."
Polo fundraiser 'went badly'
She discussed Prince Harry's filming of a Netflix show, and said it meant the charity lost the venue for their polo event.
She said the duke phoned her team and said he'd like to bring a Netflix crew to the polo fundraiser.
She said the venue owners were originally "happy for us to use their polo grounds at a material discount".
But as a result of the request, the price increased as it had become a commercial venture.
The charity was forced to pull out of the venue as it couldn't afford the fee, according to Dr Chandauka, but then was "lucky enough" to find another through Prince Harry's connections.
On the day, however, she claimed there were more problems.
"The duchess decided to attend, but she told us she wasn't attending, and she brought a friend, a very famous friend," Dr Chandauka said.
"The choreography went badly on stage because we had too many people on stage.
"The international press captured this, and there was a lot of talk about the duchess and the choreography on stage and whether she should have been there and her treatment of me."
Has Prince Harry responded to Dr Chandauka's claims?
Sky News contacted the Duke and Duchess of Sussex about the contents of Sophie Chandauka's interview with Trevor Phillips, and they declined to offer any formal response.
But a source close to the former trustees of the Sentebale charity has described as categorically false Dr Chandauka's claims that Dr Kelello did not attend meetings and did not contribute much when he was in meetings and that the Duke of Sussex leaving the UK impacted the charity, caused it to lose sponsors, or that the Duke posed the biggest risk to the charity.
The source also described as "completely baseless" Dr Chandauka's claims that she was bullied and harassed, briefed against by Prince Harry, or that those on the board of Sentebale were scared to speak up when the Duke was in the room.
The claim the press was informed about the royal patrons' departure as trustees before the charity has also been described by the source as "categorically untrue".
The source described Dr Sandauka's account of the polo match as "highly misleading". Sky News also contacted Netflix, who declined to comment.
In response to Dr Chandauka's claim that the Duke of Sussex was "forcing the failure" of the charity "as a last resort", the source pointed to the public statement of the princes, which called it "devastating" that the relationship between trustees and chair broke down, "creating an untenable situation".
The statement added: "These trustees acted in the best interest of the charity in asking the chair to step down, while keeping the wellbeing of staff in mind. In turn, she sued the charity to remain in this voluntary position, further underscoring the broken relationship."
Charity regulator opens case into Sentebale 'concerns'
The princes said they would be "sharing all of our concerns with the Charity Commission as to how this came about", while Dr Chandauka said she had reported the outgoing trustees to it.
The Charity Commission is an independent, non-ministerial government department that regulates charities in England and Wales.
On Thursday 3 April, the commission said it had opened a "compliance case" to assess concerns raised about Sentebale.
The regulator said: "The Charity Commission is now in direct contact with parties who have raised concerns to gather evidence and assess the compliance of the charity and trustees, past and present, with their legal duties.
"The regulator's focus, in line with its statutory remit, will be to determine whether the charity's current and former trustees, including its chair, have fulfilled their duties and responsibilities under charity law.
"The Commission is not an adjudicator or mediator and is guided by the principle of ensuring trustees fulfil their primary duty to their charitable purpose and beneficiaries.
"After a period of assessing the initial concerns raised with the Commission, the regulator informed the charity on 2 April 2025 it has opened a regulatory compliance case. The regulator has not made any findings at this time."
Responding to the news of the Commission's case being opened, Prince Harry said: "What has transpired over the last week has been heartbreaking to witness, especially when such blatant lies hurt those who have invested decades in this shared goal.
"No one suffers more than the beneficiaries of Sentebale itself.
"On behalf of the former trustees and patrons, we share in the relief that the Charity Commission confirmed they will be conducting a robust inquiry.
"We fully expect it will unveil the truth that collectively forced us to resign.
"We remain hopeful this will allow for the charity to be put in the right hands immediately, for the sake of the communities we serve."
What has Sentebale said?
After the charity regulator confirmed it was investigating, Carmel Gaillard, the charity's executive director, said: "As executive director, I speak on behalf of the Sentebale executive team and operational staff that we welcome the clarity this process will bring.
"Transparency and accountability are central to how we operate, and the executive team and I are fully committed to supporting the Charity Commission's Regulatory Compliance case in any way needed.
"We will also continue to work closely with the chair and the new board of trustees to ensure the smooth running of the organisation, keeping our focus firmly on delivering for the young people and communities we serve."
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In an earlier statement, after the princes announced they were leaving the charity, Ms Gaillard wrote: "At any point of significant change in an organisation's journey, conflict can arise. We acknowledge this openly and with a spirit of reflection and forward momentum.
"We are deeply grateful for the service, time, and passion of our outgoing trustees. We are also saddened that our co-founding patrons have made the decision to step down from their duties as patrons for the foreseeable future.
"Their belief in our mission and early leadership helped shape the foundation of our work, and for that, we remain thankful. They will always be the founders of Sentebale."
Sentebale's hefty consultancy fees 'to be looked at in investigation'
The decision by Dr Chandauka to spend almost half a million pounds on consultancy fees, and who she decided to pay, will form part of the Charity Commission's investigation, according to an expert in charity governance.
Sky News has seen a document from a source close to the trustees which shows a breakdown of the £427,497 spent on consultants between June 2023 and January 2025 on work related to media, website and fundraising advice.
The expenses were said to have been authorised by Dr Chandauka.
LEBEC, a strategy and financial innovation firm, was paid the most with a bill of £185,000.
A spokesperson for Sentebale confirmed to Sky News that the figure spent on consultants was "roughly accurate".
Geoff Hand, a charity governance and dispute resolution expert, told Sky News the charity regulator would be "on the lookout for any conflicts of interest - for example, any personal connections between Sophia Chandauka and any of her chosen consultants".
A spokesperson for Sentebale defended the charity's spending, saying all decisions were "vetted appropriately" by the CEO at the time and the COO.
You can read more on the expenses, including Sentebale's response, here.
What does Sentebale do?
The charity was launched by Harry and Prince Seeiso in 2006 to help children and young people in Lesotho in southern Africa, particularly those with HIV and Aids.
Prince Harry decided to start it up after making a trip to the country during a gap year in 2004.
Lesotho, a poor mountainous kingdom surrounded by South Africa, is one of the worst-affected countries in the world by HIV.
Harry co-founded it in memory of Princess Diana, who campaigned in support of AIDS charities to help remove stigmas around the disease.
In 2015, the organisation opened a £2m children's centre there.
In recent years, under Dr Chandauka, the charity has evolved to also address issues of youth health, wealth and climate resilience in southern Africa.
Harry visited Sentebale in Lesotho as recently as October, when he spent an evening around a campfire speaking with young people and said the charity was building a force of young advocates.
On the same trip, Lesotho Prime Minister Sam Matekane said the country would always be Harry's "second home".