Following a fallout between the trustees and the chair of its board, the Duke of Sussex has resigned from a charity he set up in 2006 to help young people in southern Africa living with HIV and Aids. The charity, Sentebale, was set up in honour of his late mother, Princess Diana.
Prince Harry reportedly donated $150 million of the proceeds from his memoir, Spare, to the charity in 2023. However, this week he stepped down along with his co-founder, Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, and the board of trustees because their relationship with the chairwoman Dr Sophie Chandauka 'broke down beyond repair' after she was asked to resign and then took legal action.
Dr Chandauka said she reported the trustees to the UK Charity Commission and had 'blown the whistle' about issues including abuse of power, bullying, sexism and racism. The Charity Commission said it is 'aware of concerns about the governance' of Sentebale and is looking into them.
Who is Dr Sophie Chandauka?
Sophie Chandauka is a Zimbabwe-born corporate finance lawyer, entrepreneur and head of Americas risk management and intelligence at Meta.
She previously worked as global chief operations officer of shared services and banking operations at Morgan Stanley, and as head of group treasury at Virgin Money.
In the 2021 Queen's birthday honours, Chandauka was awarded an MBE for 'services to diversity in business'.
How long has Dr Sophie Chandauka worked with Sentebale?
Dr Chandauka was appointed to the board of trustees of the charity in 2008. She also served as co-chair of the board of trustees for the BLD Foundation from 2013 to 2014. In 2016, she was appointed to the board of trustees of Protimos, an organisation of development lawyers who provide access to law and legal education for impoverished and marginalised communities.
What has she said about Prince Harry's charity?
Dr Chandauka alleges that there was a 'cover up' at the charity and spoke of 'weak executive management, abuse of power, bullying, harassment, misogyny, and misogynoir [discrimination against black women].'
In her statement, she also mentioned 'people in this world who behave as though they are above the law and mistreat people' and said those people 'play the victim card and use the very press they disdain'.
Speaking about the fallout, Chandauka added: 'For me, this is not a vanity project from which I can resign when I am called to account. I am an African who has had the privilege of a world class education and career. I will not be intimidated. I must stand for something. I stand for those other women who do not have the same ways and means.'
'I chose to join Sentebale first and foremost as a proud African who understands that, in the spirit of ubuntu: to whom much is given, much is expected,' she went on.
Chandauka explained that her actions are guided by 'the principles of fairness and equitable treatment' and the pursuit of 'the integrity of the organisation, its mission and the young people we serve'.
The former trustees and princes are yet to respond to Chandauka's allegations.
Is Dr Sophie Chandauka staying at Sentebale?
She says she will remain focused on fundraising for 'the very important work' the charity does and is indebted to those who have stood by her. 'I will continue to faithfully perform my role as chair of the board,' she added. 'I look forward to the opportunity to work with others who are interested in issues of health, wealth and climate resilience for young people in Africa.'
What has Prince Harry said about Sentebale?
Prince Harry has sided with the board of trustees, saying they 'acted in the best interest' in asking Chandauka to step down.
In a statement seen by The Times, Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso wrote, 'What transpired is unthinkable. We are in shock that we have to do this. 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.'
They added that they have had to resign 'with heavy hearts' because of an untenable situation. The former trustees Timothy Boucher, Mark Dyer, Audrey Kgosidintsi, Kelello Lerotholi and Damian West have all made the 'difficult decision to unanimously resign' too.
Meanwhile, Richard Miller has quite as chief executive after five years in the role. Baroness Chalker, the overseas development minister, stepped down a month earlier.
Who will run Sentebale now?
A spokesperson for the charity has said it is carrying out a 'restructuring' of its board as 'confirmation of its strategy to redeploy senior roles to be proximate to most of the team and programmes in southern Africa'.
'We are pleased to confirm the restructuring of our Board on 25 March 2025 to introduce experts with the capabilities and networks to accelerate Sentebale's transformation agenda as announced last year,' it reads.