Prince Harry and Lesotho’s Prince Seeiso have stepped down as patrons of Sentebale, the charity they cofounded in honor of Princess Diana and Seeiso’s late mother in 2006. In a statement to The Times, the princes said their resignations came in response to a dispute between the chair of the charity’s board, Sophie Chandauka, and the rest of the trustees, who also stepped down.
“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,” they wrote. “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.”
According to reports, the dispute arose when trustees asked Chandauka, a Zimbabwe-born lawyer who was appointed chair in July 2023, to step down from her position. After she refused, the rest of the board resigned instead, including Mark Dyer, a lifelong friend of Harry’s. “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,” the princes’ statement read. “In turn, she sued the charity to remain in this voluntary position, further underscoring the broken relationship.”
In response, Chandauka told the Daily Mail that she had reported Sentebale to the UK’s Charity Commission over an alleged “cover-up” and accusations of racism and sexism. “My actions are guided by the principles of fairness and equitable treatment for all, regardless of social status or financial means,” she said. “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.”
A source close to the situation told Vanity Fair that the trustees who resigned were concerned about financial mismanagement during Chandauka’s tenure, and that the relationship began to fray starting in December.
In their own statement, Harry and Seeiso said they would share information with the Charity Commission: “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.”
Harry and Chandauka publicly appeared together not too long ago, having attended a December 2024 fundraiser for the charity at a Lower East Side gallery. In their statement, Harry and Seeiso thanked the former trustees for their service and emphasized the roots of the organization.
“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,” they said. “Today is no different.”
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The post According to Source, Prince Harry’s Relationship With Sentebale Began to Deteriorate Months Ago appeared first on Vanity Fair.
