Prince Harry quits African charity in wake of 'unthinkable' dispute

Prince Harry is "devastated" after resigning as patron of a charity he co-founded following an "unthinkable" dispute.

The British royal and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho established Sentebale in 2006, with the aim of helping children and teenagers who had been diagnosed with HIV and AIDS in the southern African nations of Lesotho and Botswana.

Harry had been inspired to set up the organisation in honour of his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, after visiting Lesotho during his gap year.

However, the 40-year-old and fellow patron Seeiso announced on Tuesday that they would resign from the registered charity and the board of trustees as a result of chair Dr Sophie Chandauka suing the organisation after she was asked to step down.

"With heavy hearts, we have resigned from our roles as patrons of the organisation until further notice, in support of and solidarity with the board of trustees who have had to do the same. 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," the princes said in a joint statement. "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."

To conclude, Harry and Seeiso confirmed they would be sharing "all of our concerns with the Charity Commission as to how this came about".

Dr Chandauka, who was appointed chair in July 2023, has reported Sentebale to the UK Charity Commission.

According to the BBC, the corporate finance lawyer and entrepreneur had "blown the whistle" about "abuse of power" at the charity.

"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," she commented.

A representative for the Charity Commission confirmed they were "aware of concerns" over the governance at Sentebale.