Prince Harry and his co-founder, Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, have stepped down as patrons from their charity over an internal dispute between its trustees and the chair.
Harry and Seeiso decided to quit in solidarity with the former trustees at Sentebale, the charity both princes established in 2006 in honour of their mothers, after its chair Sophie Chandauka removed all other members of the board.
The removed trustees had requested that Chandauka resign, which led her to terminate the trustees and bring a case to High Court.
A Charity Commission spokesperson told Civil Society it was aware of concerns about the governance of Sentebale and is “assessing the issues to determine the appropriate regulatory steps”.
Princes: ‘Truly heartbroken’
In a joint statement from both princes, which has been reported by the Times, they wrote: “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.
“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.
“We thank all the trustees for their service over the years and are truly heartbroken they’ve had to follow through with this act.
“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.
“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.”
Trustees: ‘Not a choice willingly made’
The five former trustees left the charity on 24 March, while four new trustees were appointed on yesterday.
The former trustees attempted to vote and requested the resignation of Sophie Chandauka, who was appointed to the chair of the board in July 2023.
Subsequently, Chandauka said she reported the trustees to the commission and sued the charity in the High Court, which then issued an emergency injunction to prevent the trustees from removing her after hearing her case, according to the Times.
In a joint statement also reported by the Times, the former trustees said: “As a group of British and African trustees, we have made the difficult decision to unanimously resign as board members of Sentebale.
“Today’s decision is nothing short of devastating for all of us, but we see no other path forward as the result of our loss in trust and confidence in the chair of the board.
“Our priority has always been, and will always be, what’s in the best interest of the charity, and it’s desperately sad the breakdown in relationship escalated to a lawsuit by the chair against the charity, to block us from voting her out after our request for her resignation was rejected.
“We could not in good conscience allow Sentebale to undertake that legal and financial burden and have been left with no other option but to vacate our positions.
“This was not a choice willingly made, but rather something we felt forced into in order to look after the charity.
“Our sincere hope is that with this decision, the road ahead steadies for the sake of our staff and the communities we serve. Sentebale is simply too important to us.”
Chair: ‘My actions are guided by the principles of fairness’
Chandauka told Civil Society: “My actions are guided by the principles of fairness and equitable treatment for all, regardless of social status or financial means.
“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.
“Discerning readers will ask themselves: why would the chair of the board report her own trustees to the Charity Commission? Why would the High Court of England and Wales accept her application to hear the matter at all if the case had no merit?
“Well, because beneath all the victim narrative and fiction that has been syndicated to press is 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, misogynoir – and the coverup that ensued.
“I could be anyone. I just happen to be an educated woman who understands that the law will guide and protect me.
“I will say nothing further on this matter at this time. I have one job. I must focus on fundraising for the very important work of the young people who inspire the incredible team at Sentebale who make sacrifices daily at a time when geopolitics is severely impacting funding for development work in Africa.”
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