In a week of extraordinary broadsides, the allegation that Prince Harry put his own commercial interests before that of a charity working with Africa’s most desperate children could be the most damaging.
The war of words exchanged in recent days between those connected to Sentebale, the organisation that Duke of Sussex co-founded in memory of his late mother, has been nothing short of deeply unsettling for all involved. The charity stands paralysed between two factions claiming the moral high ground while somewhere in among the infighting must be the truth.
The Charity Commission in the UK while investigating to determine if any mismanagement or worse has been committed, is unlikely to want to untangle the mess between Sophie Chandauka, the under fire chair, and Prince Harry and his co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho. Dr Chandauka, a Zimbabwean Oxford educated lawyer, has already accused Harry of “harassment and bullying at scale” as well as being responsible for sponsors shying away from Sentebale because of his “toxic” brand since leaving the royal family.
Harry’s alleged further insistence that he bring a camera crew from Netflix, who he has a £100m contract with to make content for, instead of securing the best price available for a charity function will unlikely sit well with anyone who may be interested in being involved with the organisation in the future.
Which begs the question….what is Prince’s Harry’s purpose in his new found royal freedom? Both he and Meghan argued when leaving The Firm in 2020 that “service is universal”, quite different from the seemingly self service attitude he is alleged to have displayed here.
Is Harry now more bothered about serving his paymasters at the corporation he is working, and does that leave any scope to use his profile for common good?
If Dr Chandauka’s allegations do ring true, many will will be appalled at the change in Harry who once genuinely believed Harry would do everything in his power to make the world a better place, rather than ruthlessly feathering his own nest.
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