The head of African charity Sentebale – an organisation co-founded by Prince Harry to help children with HIV – has described his and Meghan Markle‘s brand as “toxic” in a sensational interview.
Dr Sophie Chandauka, chair of the charity set up in the late Princess Diana’s memory, claims there was tension between herself and the Duke, and that she was asked by his team to protect Meghan against any negative publicity – which she refused to do. Harry resigned as patron of Sentebale last week, saying he was devastated to do so, but cited a “broken” relationship for the reason for the move.
He left “in solidarity” with the charity’s trustees who also resigned when relations with Dr Chandauka “broke down beyond repair” when she refused their request to step down.
Hitting back, the Zimbabwean lawyer said the Sussexes’ “brand” had hampered the charity.
“The number one risk for this organisation was the toxicity of its lead patron’s brand,” Dr Chandauka told the Financial Times. She claimed the controversy surrounding Prince Harry’s move to the US has affected the charity’s ability to diversify its donor base and make senior hires. “When you start to interview people, they’re asking questions about, well, these mixed messages around the patron”, she said.
She also accused Harry and fellow co-founder, Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, of attempting to “force a failure” of the organisation, only to later position themselves as its saviours. In her first interview since the dispute began, Dr Chandauka passionately defended her record and issued a striking message to Prince Harry, stating, “The team is resolved that Sentebale will live on, with or without you.”
Harry has not commented on the claims, but a close source told the Mail: “There’s no way of sugar-coating the damage of this, regardless of who’s in the right. He’ll be reeling.” A source with detailed knowledge of the charity however claimed Dr Chandauka has herself been accused of bullying staff and manipulating the minutes of board meetings. The source said that one report being looked at by the Charity Commission will include concerns regarding Chandauka’s governance as well as her “manipulation of minutes to endorse her false claims of bullying and misogyny”, reports The Times.
Sources said they were concerned about the charity’s future after available funds fell below a £600,000 safety threshold following Chandauka’s appointment in 2023. A source close to the lawyer confirmed the £600,000 figure but claimed Sentebale was due to recieve $1.75 million (£1.35 million) that had been pledged. Prince Harry has meanwhile raised more than £12 million for the charity through polo matches. He also donated more than £1 million of the proceeds made from his memoire Spare to Sentebale.
Ms Chandauka, who trained as a lawyer in London, said she has been trying to transform the charity. “The way the organisation had been set up in 2006, was no longer appropriate in 2023 in a post-Black Lives Matter world“. These changes triggered friction between UK-based staff and those in Lesotho, she added. The board, she said, felt “a loss of power and control and influence… oh my goodness, the Africans are taking over”.
A Charity Commission spokesperson said: “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.”
At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the “Do Not Sell or Share my Data” button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Cookie Notice.