Dr. Sophie Chandauka slammed Prince Harry’s “toxic” Sussex brand after he quit his role at the Sentebale charity he co-founded.
During a new interview with the Financial Times, Dr. Chandauka, who has been chair of Sentebale since 2023, claimed the Duke of Sussex and the charity’s co-founder, Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, wanted the organization to fail.
“The number one risk for this organization was the toxicity of its lead patron’s brand,” she alleged, adding that Harry, 40, and Seeiso wanted to “force a failure and then come to the rescue.”
The Zimbabwean corporate finance lawyer told the outlet that she had worked to reform the charity, which has helped young people affected by the HIV/AIDS crisis since 2006, by overhauling the organization’s culture, operations and long-term strategy and focusing on US fundraising.
Dr. Chandauka, 47, said she gave more decision-making roles to leaders in southern Africa and moved for the charity to cover climate resilience and wealth inequality.
“The way the organization had been set up in 2006, was no longer appropriate in 2023 in a post-Black Lives Matter world,” she told the Financial Times.
“Funders were asking for locally led initiatives.”
Dr. Chandauka said friction arose between the UK-based staff and those who worked for the charity in the African countries of Lesotho and Botswana.
She claimed the board felt “a loss of power and control and influence … ’Oh my goodness, the Africans are taking over.’”
Despite the drama surrounding Harry’s abrupt exit, Dr. Chandauka said Sentebale “will live on, with or without you.”
A source close to trustees and patrons told Page Six: “They fully expected this publicity stunt and reached their collective decision with this in mind. They remain firm in their resignation, for the good of the charity, and look forward to the adjudication of the truth.”
Page Six has reached out to Harry’s rep for comment but did not immediately hear back.
Earlier this week, Harry, 40, announced that he was quitting the Sentebale charity that he and Seeiso founded in 2006.
“What’s transpired is unthinkable,” the royal and Seeiso explained to the London Times in a joint statement on Wednesday.
“It is devastating that the relationship between the charity’s trustees and the chair of the board broke down beyond repair,” they added.
Dr. Chandauka claimed “misogynoir” was to blame for why Harry and the board of trustees resigned.
She also accused the “Spare” author of launching a “damaging” attack that led to her allegedly being harassed and bullied.
A source close to the former trustees of the Sentebale charity alleged to Page Six Saturday that what Dr. Chandauka described was “completely baseless.”
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