Prince Harry has been accused of orchestrating a bullying and harassment campaign by the chairwoman of Sentebale, the African charity he cofounded with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho.
In a wide-ranging interview with Sky News on Sunday, Sophie Chandauka accused the Duke of Sussex of trying to force her out of the charity. She said she was targeted after she tried to blow the whistle on “abuse of power, bullying, harassment, misogyny and misogynoir”.
Misogynoir refers to a combination of racism and misogyny directed towards black women.
“It’s a cover-up, and the prince is involved,” Chandauka told Sky News. She also recollected a viral incident involving Prince Harry's wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, which she said became a source of friction between them.
Chandauka's interview comes days after the shock resignation of Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso as patrons of Sentebale following the resignation of five of its trustees.
“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 in a joint statement published by British media last week.
“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. In turn, she sued the charity to remain in this voluntary position, further underscoring the broken relationship.”
Chandauka released her own statement in response, alleging there was misconduct at the charity without naming anyone or offering any details.
“For me, this is not a vanity project from which I can resign when I am called to account,” she said, adding that she had reported the trustees to the Charity Commission and that a UK court had issued an injunction to stop them removing her.
“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 said.
What is Sentebale?
Founded in 2006 by Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso in memory of their mothers, Sentebale works in the southern African nations of Lesotho and Botswana to help young people affected by Aids. Prince Harry has a close relationship with Lesotho, where he spent part of a gap year in 2004 working at an orphanage for children whose parents died of Aids.
Sentebale means “don’t forget me” in the Sesotho language of Lesotho and South Africa. Prince Harry has been the face of fund-raising for charity, organising high-profile events around the world. In 2013, he partnered with Dubai's Al Jalila Foundation to raise more than $1 million at a charity dinner.
Who else has resigned?
Besides Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso, who serve as patrons of Sentebale, five trustees have also resigned. Their decision to do so was the “result of our loss in trust and confidence in the chair of the board,” they said in a statement.
They could not allow Sentebale to take on the legal and financial burden of a lawsuit brought by the chairwoman “to block us from voting her out after our request for her resignation was rejected,” they added.
One of the other trustees, Kelello Lerotholi, told Sky News that Chandauka's allegations were surprising and that “there was never even a hint” of misconduct by trustees.
Who is Sophie Chandauka?
A corporate lawyer who was born in Zimbabwe, New York-based Chandauka was appointed chairwoman of Sentebale after serving for six years as a board member. She is the co-founder US-based biotechnology company Nandi Life Sciences, which develops therapeutics for rare cancers and autoimmune diseases.
Educated in Canada, the US and the UK, her previous roles include heading risk management and intelligence at Facebook parent company Meta; chief operating officer of banking operations at Morgan Stanley; and head of group treasury at the Virgin Money Group, according to the Sentebale website.
In 2021, she was awarded an MBE for extraordinary services to diversity in business by Queen Elizabeth II.
How is Meghan, Duchess of Sussex involved?
In her Sky News interview, Chandauka alleged that a polo fund-raiser scheduled in Miami last year almost fell apart when Harry asked to bring a camera crew along that was filming him for a Netflix series. The cost of the venue skyrocketed when the hosts became aware it was a commercial venture, forcing them to scramble for a new venue, which Prince Harry arranged through his connections, she said.
Meghan's surprise appearance at the event led to an awkward moment during the trophy presentation after the match, Chandauka said.
In a viral video clip circulated on social media, Chandauka tried to pose next to the duke as he held the trophy in one hand and had his other wrapped around Meghan. But the duchess appeared to gesture that Chandauka move farther from Harry, forcing her to duck under the silver cup to get into the photo.
“The international press captured this, and there was a lot of talk about the duchess and the choreography on stage and whether she should have been there and her treatment of me,” Chandauka said.
Following the clip, the duke allegedly requested her to issue a statement in support of Meghan. Chandauka said she rejected the request, which caused even more tension between them. “We cannot be an extension of the Sussexes,” she told Sky News.
What has the UK's Charity Commission said?
A spokesperson for the Charity Commission for England and Wales, which regulates all charities, said it was “aware of concerns about the governance of Sentebale”.
“We are assessing the issues to determine the appropriate regulatory steps,” the commission said in a statement.
– Agencies contributed to this report
