Prince Harry announced his shocking departure from Sentebale, the charity he cofounded in 2006, on Tuesday, March 25.
Harry, 40, and cofounder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho said they resigned in solidarity with several trustees, who also announced their exits amid conflict with the chair of the board, Dr. Sophie Chandauka.
“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,” Harry and Seeiso, 58, said in a statement obtained by the Times of London, Guardian and the BBC.
Harry and Seeiso alleged that Chaundauka sued the charity after being asked to step down from her position.
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“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 [U.K.] Charity Commission as to how this came about,” the statement continued.
However, in part of a statement issued to Us Weekly on Wednesday, March 26, Chandauka accused the charity of “poor governance, weak executive management [and] abuse of power.”
“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,” Chandauka said.
“Discerning readers will ask themselves: why would the Chair of the Board report her own Trustees to the Charity Commission? Why would the High Court of England and Wales accept her application to hear the matter at all if the case had no merit?” she added.
“Well, because beneath all the victim narrative and fiction that has been syndicated to 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 coverup that ensued.”
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In a separate statement issued to Us on Wednesday, a representative for the charity said it “has not received resignations from the royal patrons.”
Scroll down to learn more about Sentebale amid the sudden resignations.
Harry Created Sentebale After Visiting Lesotho
Harry was inspired to create the charity after visiting Lesotho in southern Africa during a gap year in 2004, when he was around 20 years old.
Two years later, Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho founded Sentebale to support vulnerable children in Lesotho dealing with issues such as poverty and HIV/AIDS.
“Eleven years ago, I made my first visit to Lesotho, with the help of Prince Seeiso. As we travelled the country, I was amazed by its raw beauty, but I was also struck by the many children I met whose lives had been shattered by the loss of a parent and in some cases both,” Harry said in a 2015 statement about the charity.
“I couldn’t believe that so many children had been robbed of their childhoods by extreme poverty and the ravages of HIV and AIDS. Behind those smiles, it was clear they desperately needed care, attention, and above all, love,” he added.
The Charity’s Name is a Nod to Princess Diana
The name Sentebale means “forget-me-not” in Sesotho, the official language of Lesotho.
The royal family website describes the name as a representation “of both of the princes’ late mothers’ work to help those affected by AIDS and poverty, but also that Lesotho and the plight of its children are not forgotten.”
Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, was known for her work challenging the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS; in 1987, she opened the U.K.’s first HIV/AIDS unit at London Middlesex Hospital and famously shook hands with a man who had the illness.
The forget-me-not was also known to be the princess’ favorite flower.
Harry Got Tested For HIV in 2016
As a continuation of his mother’s work, Harry used his platform as a working royal and his role within Sentebale to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS.
In 2016, he was photographed getting tested for HIV at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London “to show how easy it is to get tested,” according to the royal family website.
Robert Palmer, a lead health adviser and psychosexual counsellor, who carried out the test, told BBC News that the prince had been “anxious.”
“It doesn’t matter who you are, it’s a good idea to have an HIV test,” Palmer told the outlet when asked about the significance of a member of the royal family being tested.
Harry Continued Working With Sentebale After Royal Exit
Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped down from their roles as working royals in 2020 and relocated from London to California in the U.S.
Though the couple had to give up several patronages — charities they supported on behalf of the monarch — Sentebale wasn’t one of them.
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Like the Invictus Games, which Harry founded in 2014 to support wounded or injured service personnel, Sentebale is an independent organization that Harry was able to continue in a non-royal capacity.
Chaundauka’s Involvement With Sentebale
Chaundauka became chair of Sentebale’s board of trustees in July 2023, however, her involvement with the charity spans more than a decade. She previously served on the Sentebale board from 2009 until 2015, according to the charity’s website.
Chaundauka was born and raised in southern Africa and studied in the U.K. and U.S., the website states. She’s now based in New York City and has been a part of several nonprofit and advisory boards, including the Advisory Board of the Kellogg Institute for International Studies at the University of Notre Dame.
