London: Prince Harry has been accused of “harassment and bullying at scale” by Sophie Chandauka, the chair of Sentebale, a charity he co-founded in 2006 to support young people affected by HIV and AIDS in Lesotho and Botswana. Chandauka made the allegations after resigning from her position earlier this week following a dispute she described as “devastating”.
Harry, the younger son of King Charles, left Sentebale along with co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho and the board of trustees after a breakdown in relations with Chandauka.
In an interview with Sky News set to air in full on Sunday, Chandauka criticized the manner in which Harry departed from the organization. “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 stated.
“And can you imagine what that attack has done for me, on me, and the 540 individuals in the Sentebale organisations and their families?” she added. “That is an example of harassment and bullying at scale.”
Representatives for Harry and his wife Meghan have not responded to requests for comment on the allegations. Sky News reported that the couple declined to provide a formal response to the interview.
A source close to the charity’s trustees and patrons, including Harry, claimed they had anticipated what they described as a “publicity stunt” and made their decision to resign accordingly. The source added that they remained resolute in their decision to step down.
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Harry and Seeiso expressed their disappointment in a joint statement on Wednesday, calling the situation “devastating” and acknowledging that the relationship between Sentebale’s trustees and Chandauka had become irreparable.
Chandauka has previously criticized the charity, citing “poor governance, weak executive management, abuse of power, bullying, harassment, misogyny, and misogynoir.”
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In an interview with the Financial Times published on Saturday, she claimed she was asked by Harry’s team to shield Meghan Markle from negative media coverage, a request she refused. She also argued that Sentebale’s operations were outdated, stating, “The way Sentebale was run was no longer appropriate in 2023 in a post-Black Lives Matter world … funders were asking for locally-led initiatives.”
In their statement, Harry and Seeiso defended the decision to ask Chandauka to step down, maintaining that it was made in the charity’s best interests. However, Chandauka took legal action against Sentebale to retain her position.
