Prince Harry accused of ‘harassment and bullying’ by chair of HIV/AIDS charity – National

The chairperson of an African charity co-founded by Prince Harry has accused the royal of orchestrating a “harassment and bullying” campaign to try to force her out as she pushed back following his resignation from the organization earlier this week.

On Sunday, Sophie Chandauka, the Sentebale chair, told Sky News that the Duke of Sussex unleashed “the Sussex (PR) machine” on her when he publicly resigned from the charity as a patron of Sentebale, an African charity he co-founded nearly 20 years ago to help young people with HIV and AIDS in Lesotho and Botswana.

“The only reason I’m here… is because at some point on Tuesday, Prince Harry authorized the release of a damaging piece of news to the outside world without informing me or my country directors, or my executive director,” Chandauka told the outlet.

“And can you imagine what that attack has done for me, on me and the 540 individuals in the Sentebale organizations and their family?” she said, adding, “That is an example of harassment and bullying at scale.”

Chandauka described how the prince’s Netflix deal interfered with a scheduled fundraiser and how an incident with his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, became a source of friction.

She told the outlet that a polo fundraiser scheduled in Miami last year almost fell apart when Harry asked to bring a camera crew along that was filming him for a Netflix series.

The cost of the venue skyrocketed when it became a commercial venture and they scrambled to find another host, which Harry arranged through his connections, she said.

Meghan’s surprise appearance at the event led to an awkward moment during the trophy presentation after the match, Chandauka said.

In a video that circulated on social media, Chandauka tried to pose next to Harry as he held the trophy in one hand and had his other wrapped around Meghan. But the duchess appeared to gesture that Chandauka move farther from Harry, forcing her to duck under the silver cup to get into the photo.

“The international press captured this, and there was a lot of talk about the duchess and the choreography on stage and whether she should have been there and her treatment of me,” Chandauka said.

She said she rejected Harry’s request that she issue a statement in support of Meghan, because “we cannot be an extension of the Sussexes.” (Harry and Meghan declined to offer a formal response to Sky News in regards to Chandauka’s claims.)

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Prince Harry breaks silence on decision by him and Meghan step back from Royal roles

Earlier this week, the Duke of Sussex said the reason for his resignation from the charity was due to conflict between members of the board and Chandauka, the chair of the board who refused to step down and sued the charity in order to retain her position.

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Prince Seeiso, who co-founded the charity with Harry, and the board of trustees also joined Harry in leaving Sentebale following the breakdown of the relationship between board members and Chandauka.

Chandauka said she had reported Sentebale’s trustees to the Charity Commission, a government department in the U.K. that regulates philanthropic organizations, and had filed papers in a British court to prevent her removal.

In a statement, she made allegations of misconduct at the charity without naming anyone.

“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 said.

This, she said, was 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 and misogynoir — and the cover-up that ensued.”

When speaking with Sky News, Chandauka said Harry had interfered with her whistleblower complaint. “So it’s a cover-up, and the prince is involved,” she said.

Chanduaka also alleged that there was a significant drop in donors after Harry and Meghan left official royal duties in January 2020, and eventually settled in California.

The biggest risk to the charity was the “toxicity of its lead patron’s brand,” Chandauka told the Financial Times.

Prince Harry co-founded Sentebale in memory of his late mother, Princess Diana, with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho in 2006 after he spent time working at an orphanage in Lesotho during a gap year.

In a joint statement on March 26, the princes said, “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.”

“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. Today is no different.”

“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 continued. “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.”

“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. In turn, she sued the charity to remain in this voluntary position, further underscoring the broken relationship,” the princes’ statement continued.

Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso thanked the trustees for their “service over the years” and said they are “truly heartbroken they’ve had to follow through with this act.”

“Although we may no longer be patrons, we will always be its founders, and we will never forget what this charity is capable of achieving when it is in the right care,” they concluded.

BBC reported that the Charity Commission said it was “aware of concerns about the governance” of Sentebale, which is registered in the U.K.

“We are assessing the issues to determine the appropriate regulatory steps,” the commission added.

After Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso announced their resignation, Sentebale shared a statement on social media to let their followers know that “the work continues because they deserve nothing less.”

“It’s the incredible teams on the ground — our staff and local partners — who bring our mission to life every day, walking alongside the children and young people we serve,” the statement began.

“While Trustees are key for governance and regulation, and Patrons — especially Founders — are an honour to have, it’s the people in the field who are advancing the work, no matter what,” the statement continued. “Our commitment to supporting youth in Southern Africa with better health, stronger livelihoods, and climate resilience remains as strong as ever.”

— With files from The Associated Press