A charity set up by Prince Harry in memory of Princess Diana has been at the centre of a high-profile row, leading to an independent investigation.
The Duke of Sussex stepped down from Sentebale in March alongside fellow co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, nearly 20 years after they started it to help young people with HIV in Lesotho and Botswana.
They did so in support of a number of other trustees, who resigned after a dispute with chairperson Dr Sophie Chandauka, saying they had lost “trust and confidence” in her.
The fallout escalated after Dr Chandauka used an interview with Sky News’ Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips days later to accuse Harry of “harassment and bullying at scale”.
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Charity chair’s bullying claims on Sky News (March 2025)
Both Harry and Dr Chandauka went to The Charity Commission (CC) to share their concerns about the other party.
The independent government regulator has now concluded there was no evidence of bullying or harassment, but found that an internal dispute at Sentebale “severely impacted the charity’s reputation”.
So what was the initial dispute about, what were the accusations against Harry and what else did the CC find?
What was the dispute over?
The initial internal rift at Sentebale started in 2023 over a plan by the trustees to implement a new fundraising strategy in the US, according to the CC.
It suggested the “serious dispute” was exacerbated by strategic and financial difficulties for the charity following the COVID-19 pandemic.
The then trustees had urged Dr Chandauka to step down, alleging it was in the “best interest of the charity”.
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Former trustee: ‘This all came as a shock to me’
Neither Dr Chandauka nor Harry have commented on how the dispute began, and the CC said it was not its role to look at the dispute itself, but rather whether the charity’s current and former trustees “fulfilled their duties and responsibilities under charity law”.
In a joint statement announcing their departure on 25 March, Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso said: “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,” they added, saying they were “in shock that we have to do this”.
Prince Harry plays with children supported by Sentebale in Lesotho. File pic: Reuters
In her own statement, Dr Chandauka said she would not be intimidated, adding: “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.
“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.”
Dr Chandauka makes further claims
Five days after the prince announced he was stepping down, Dr Chandauka was interviewed on Sky News, where she launched a series of further claims about Prince Harry.
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:
• She said the charity lost sponsors and donors when the Sussexes left the UK, but she wasn’t allowed to discuss the problem
• She described Harry as the “number one risk” to the charity
• She claimed he tried to “eject” her from the organisation and was attempting to force the failure of the charity to pressure her
• She said he would appoint board members without consulting her.
Sky News contacted the Duke and Duchess of Sussex about the contents of the interview at the time, and he declined to offer a formal response – though a source close to the former trustees of the Sentebale charity said the claims were “completely baseless”.
Harry and Meghan representing the charity at the Royal Salute Polo Challenge in Florida in April 2024. Pic: Reuters
What were the charity regulator’s findings?
The CC said it found no evidence of bullying or harassment at a charity, or “over-reach” by either Harry or Dr Chandauka.
But it did acknowledge the “strong perception of ill-treatment felt by a number of parties to the dispute and the impact this may have had on them personally”.
It was critical of all parties in the dispute for “allowing it to play out publicly” and said the spat had “severely impacted the charity’s reputation”.
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It also said the then trustees’ failure to resolve disputes internally “risked undermining public trust in charities more generally”.
It was critical of the charity’s “lack of clarity in delegations to the chair, which allowed for misunderstandings to occur”, and it “identified a lack of clarity around role descriptions and internal policies as the primary cause for weaknesses in the charity’s management”.
That “confusion exacerbated tensions, which culminated in a dispute and multiple resignations of trustees and both founding patrons,” it added.
How has Prince Harry responded?
A spokesperson for Prince Harry said it was “unsurprising” that the commission had announced “no findings of wrongdoing” concerning his actions.
They added: “Despite all that, their report falls troublingly short in many regards, primarily the fact that the consequences of the current chair’s actions will not be borne by her, but by the children who rely on Sentebale’s support.”
They said the prince will “now focus on finding new ways to continue supporting the children of Lesotho and Botswana”.
Dr Chandauka said: “I appreciate the Charity Commission for its conclusions which confirm the governance concerns I raised privately in February 2025.”
But she added: “The unexpected adverse media campaign that was launched by those who resigned on 24 March 2025 has caused incalculable damage and offers a glimpse of the unacceptable behaviours displayed in private.”
She said the charity had “survived” the ordeal and was now “better governed”, adding: “Despite the recent turbulence, we will always be inspired by the vision of our Founders, Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso, who established Sentebale in memory of their precious mothers, Princess Diana and Queen ‘Mamohato.”
