Prince Harry has been accused of bullying by the head of Sentebale charity. Here's what we know
By Hanan Dervisevic with wires
Topic:Royalty
12m ago12 minutes agoSun 30 Mar 2025 at 2:37am
Prince Harry talking to young people while in Botswana
Prince Harry last travelled to Lesotho in October 2024. (Reuters: Dominic Lipinski)
The head of a charity co-founded by Prince Harry has accused the royal of "bullying and harassment at scale", after he quit the organisation earlier this week.
Harry co-founded Sentebale in 2006 in honour of his late mother, Princess Diana.
He left it, along with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho and the board of trustees following a dispute with chair Sophie Chandauka.
Now, Dr Chandauka has said Harry's "unleashing of the Sussex machine" has broken the relationship between himself and the 540 people who work for the charity.
Here's what we know.
Why did Harry resign from the charity?
The princes resigned as patrons of Sentebale after the relationship between the chair and trustees "broke down beyond repair".
In a statement, Harry and Seeiso said this was in solidarity with the former trustees.
"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," the princes said.
"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."
Five trustees stepped down from their positions. They were Timothy Boucher, Mark Dyer, Audrey Kgosidintsi, Kelello Lerotholi and Damian West.
In response, Dr Chandauka said she had "blown the whistle" about issues including what she described as racism, bullying, sexism and abuse of power within the organisation.
She did not elaborate on the details of these claims.
The exact details about why the trustees wanted her resignation are also unclear.
What has the Sentebale chair said in response?
A lot.
Speaking to Sky News over the weekend, Dr Chandauka said the way the duke handled his departure from the charity was "damaging".
"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," she said.
"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."
Prince Harry posing for a photo alongside Sentebale chair Sophie Chandauka and others
Prince Harry and Sentebale Chair Sophie Chandauka at a Sentebale benefit in April, 2024. (Reuters: Marco Bello)
She separately told the Financial Times that she first felt tensions with Harry a year ago.
She also claimed the duke's team asked her to defend his wife, Meghan, from negative publicity.
"I said no, we're not setting a precedent by which we become an extension of the Sussex PR machine," she said.
The full Sky News interview will be broadcast Sunday 8:30am UK time — which is this evening at 5:30pm AEST.
Have Harry or Seeiso commented?
No.
Neither prince has commented on the dispute apart from the initial statement released.
However, a source close to the former Sentebale trustees and patrons, including Harry, said they "fully expected this publicity stunt".
The same source said they remained firm in their decision to resign.
Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso talking and looking at something
Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso set up the charity in memory of their mothers. (Reuters: Chris Jackson)
What is Sentebale?
Sentebale is a charity that works in the southern African nations of Lesotho and Botswana.
It means "don't forget me" in the Sesotho language, and Harry and Seeiso set it up in memory of their mothers.
It was started to help young people affected by AIDS after Harry spent part of a gap year in 2004 working at an orphanage for children whose parents died of the disease.
In April 2024, the charity underwent a "transformation agenda" and now aims to address health issues, wealth inequality and climate resilience in the two countries.
Posted12m ago12 minutes agoSun 30 Mar 2025 at 2:37am
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