Prince Harry said he was “in shock” on Tuesday, March 25, as he resigned as patron of Sentebale, the charity he created in 2006.
Harry, 40, and cofounder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho said Tuesday that they had stepped down from the charity in solidarity with several trustees, who also announced their exits Tuesday amid tensions with the chair of the board, Dr. Sophie Chandauka.
The princes said in a statement that the relationship between Chandauka, who was appointed chair in July 2023, and the departing trustees “broke down beyond repair” after they asked her to step down. Chandauka sued the charity to remain in the position, the princes claimed. For her part, Chandauka said she reported the charity to the U.K. Charity Commission for issues including “poor governance … abuse of power, bullying [and] harassment.”
“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,” Harry and Seeiso, 58, said in a statement obtained by the Times of London, Guardian and the BBC.
“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,” they continued.
“We thank all the trustees for their service over the years and are truly heartbroken they’ve had to follow through with this act,” they added. “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.”
Departing trustees Timothy Boucher, Mark Dyer, Audrey Kgosidintsi, Kelello Lerotholi and Damian West released a joint statement saying their decision “is nothing short of devastating,” but they had lost “trust and confidence in the chair of the board.”
“Our priority has always been, and will always be, what’s in the best interest of the charity, and it’s desperately sad the breakdown in relationship escalated to a lawsuit by the chair against the charity, to block us from voting her out after our request for her resignation was rejected,” the former trustees said.
The group added, “We could not in good conscience allow Sentebale to undertake that legal and financial burden and have been left with no other option but to vacate our positions. This was not a choice willingly made, but rather something we felt forced into in order to look after the charity.”
Sentebale said in a Wednesday, March 25, statement to Us Weekly that it had not received the princes’ resignation, but it was “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.”
Chandauka said in a separate statement to Us, “Everything I do at Sentebale is in pursuit of the integrity of the organisation, its mission, and the young people we serve. My actions are guided by the principles of fairness and equitable treatment for all, regardless of social status or financial means.”
“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,” Chandauka continued.
The statement went on, “Discerning readers will ask themselves: why would the chair of the board report her own trustees to the Charity Commission? Why would the high court of England and Wales hear her case and issue an emergency injunction to prevent the same trustees from removing her as the chair of the board?”
“Well, because beneath all the victim narrative and fiction that has been syndicated to press 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,” Chandauka alleged.
Us Weekly has reached out to representatives for Prince Harry for further comment.
Harry and Prince Seeiso launched Sentebale in 2006 to help young people in southern Africa affected by HIV and AIDS. The nonprofit organization more recently pivoted to supporting young people tackle issues such as climate change, wealth inequity and health challenges.
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