Prince Harry has condemned as “blatant lies” allegations made against him as a racism and bullying controversy has engulfed his African AIDS charity, Sentebale.
Harry resigned from the charity along with his co-founder, Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, after a dispute with Sophie Chandauka, the charity’s chair, who alleged she had been the victim of bullying and harassment “at scale” by Harry during a week of vicious public infighting that has damaged his image.
Harry issued an angry statement Thursday after U.K. watchdog the Charity Commission said it was launching a formal regulatory compliance case into Sentebale’s governance.
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“From the inception of Sentebale nearly twenty years ago, Prince Seeiso and I have had a clear goal: to support the children and young people in Southern Africa in memory of our mothers,” Harry said. “What has transpired over the last week has been heartbreaking to witness, especially when such blatant lies hurt those who have invested decades in this shared goal. No one suffers more than the beneficiaries of Sentebale itself.
“On behalf of the former trustees and patrons, we share in the relief that the Charity Commission confirmed they will be conducting a robust inquiry. We fully expect it will unveil the truth that collectively forced us to resign. We remain hopeful this will allow for the charity to be put in the right hands immediately, for the sake of the communities we serve.”
Chandauka, who first reported concerns to the regulator in February, welcomed the commission’s involvement, saying: “We hope that, together, these actions will give the general public, our colleagues, partners, supporters, donors and the communities we serve comfort that Sentebale and its new board of trustees are acting appropriately to demonstrate and ensure good governance and a healthy culture for Sentebale to thrive.”
A spokesperson for the Charity Commission told the Daily Telegraph: “The regulator’s focus, in line with its statutory remit, will be to determine whether the charity’s current and former trustees, including its chair, have fulfilled their duties and responsibilities under charity law. The Commission is not an adjudicator or mediator and is guided by the principle of ensuring trustees fulfill their primary duty to their charitable purpose and beneficiaries.
“After a period of assessing the initial concerns raised with the Commission, the regulator informed the charity on April 2, 2025, it had opened a regulatory compliance case. The regulator has not made any findings at this time.”
