The Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, has stepped down as a patron of Sentebale, the charity he co-founded in 2006, following a dispute between its board of trustees and its chair, Dr Sophie Chandauka.
Harry, alongside his co-founder, Prince Seeiso of Lesotho and Sentebale’s board of trustees, announced their resignations after relations between Dr Chandauka and the trustees “broke down beyond repair.”
Dr Chandauka, who was asked to step down, has since taken legal action against the charity and reported it to the UK Charity Commission.
She stated she had “blown the whistle” on “abuse of power” and “harassment,” saying her efforts were “in pursuit of the integrity of the organisation.”
In a joint statement, Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso expressed their disappointment over the situation. “With heavy hearts, we have resigned from our roles as Patrons of the organisation until further notice, in support of and solidarity with the board of trustees who have had to do the same,” they said.
They described the breakdown as “devastating,” adding, “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.”
The Charity Commission confirmed it was “aware of concerns about the governance” of Sentebale and was assessing the matter.
Founded to support young people affected by HIV and Aids in Lesotho and Botswana, Sentebale has been undergoing a transformation.
The charity said it had not received resignations from either royal patron but confirmed a “restructuring” of its board to include more experts to advance its “transformation agenda.” It reiterated its shift from a focus solely on HIV and Aids to addressing broader youth health, wealth, and climate resilience in Southern Africa.
Former trustees Timothy Boucher, Mark Dyer, Audrey Kgosidintsi, Dr Kelello Lerotholi, and Damian West described their resignation as “nothing short of devastating.” They stated they had lost confidence in the chair and had no choice but to step down as the legal action created an unsustainable “legal and financial burden” for the charity.
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“This was not a choice willingly made, but rather something we felt forced into in order to look after the charity,” they said.
Dr Chandauka, meanwhile, defended her position, stating that her work had been “guided by the principles of fairness and equitable treatment for all, regardless of social status or financial means.”
She further claimed, “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.”
She described the situation as “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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