Oh, no! Prince Harry has stepped down from the charity he founded in honor of his mother Princess Diana — and it sounds like it’s been a mess behind the scenes!
On Tuesday, Harry and his friend and co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho announced their departure from Sentebale, a charity they founded in 2006 focused on helping young people amid the HIV/AIDS crisis in Lesotho and elsewhere in southern Africa. Harry saw this as a way to continue his mother’s philanthropic legacy. So, having to step away now must be super emotional!
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The whole organization is in upheaval. The board of trustees have been fighting with chairwoman Dr. Sophie Chandauka, who was appointed to the role last year after several years on the board. Dr. Chandauka surprised everyone by announcing a shift in mission from helping young people with HIV/AIDS to a broader effort at “addressing issues of youth health, wealth and climate resilience in Southern Africa.” She was asked to step down but refused.
She is now suing the trustees, all of whom stepped down as well, after they questioned her leadership. She has also levied accusations of mismanagement, harassment, and abuse of power — though she did not name which specific trustees to whom she referred.
In a joint statement obtained by the BBC, the trustees said they were forced to resign out of the “best interest of the charity,” which would not be able to take on the “legal and financial burden” of the lawsuit. Hmm…
The princes are standing by the board, announcing in a statement:
“What’s transpired is unthinkable. 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 Charity Commission as to how this came about.”
They continued:
“Nearly 20 years ago, we founded Sentebale in honor 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. Today is no different.”
Acknowledging problems behind the scenes, the statement furthered:
“With heavy hearts, we have resigned from our roles as patrons of the organization until further notice, in support of and solidarity with the board of trustees who have had to do the same. 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.”
Addressing the legal trouble, the royals went on:
“These trustees acted in the best interest of the charity in asking the chair to step down while keeping the well-being of staff in mind. In turn, she sued the charity to remain in this voluntary position, further underscoring the broken relationship.”
The men thanked the trustees for their “service over the years” and expressed they’re “truly heartbroken they’ve had to follow through with this act.” They finished:
“Although we may no longer be patrons, we will always be its founders, and we will never forget what this charity is capable of achieving when it is in the right care.”
The Duke of Sussex often visits the country and was last seen there in October 2024. He also raises money for the charity via annual polo matches, raising a reported $10 million over the last decade.
An investigation to get to the bottom of this is ongoing by the Charity Commission (which registers and regulates charities in England and Wales), a spokesperson told People:
“We can confirm that we are aware of concerns about the governance of Sentebale. We are assessing the issues to determine the appropriate regulatory steps.”
Meanwhile, Dr. Chandauka insists she’s not the problem, declaring in her own statement that she had been “guided by the principles of fairness and equitable treatment for all, regardless of social status or financial means.” If that seems like a jab at the Princes or others, just wait! She continued:
“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.”
Whoa!
She said this 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.” Seemingly blasting Harry and the trustees, the chairman insisted her work was “not a vanity project from which I can resign when I am called to account.” Damn! She concluded:
“I will continue to faithfully perform my role as Chair of the Board, and 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.”
Sentebale told People the charity “has not received resignations from the Royal Patrons,” but they plan to rebuild the org:
“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.”
This whole thing sounds complicated — and we honestly have no idea who’s really to blame. But what a bummer to see something in honor of Diana blow up like this…
Thoughts? Share them (below).
[Image via Anwar Hussein/WENN/WENN/MEGA]
The post Prince Harry Forced To Resign From Charity He Founded In Princess Diana’s Honor — As Disturbing Accusations Fly! appeared first on Perez Hilton.
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