The Charity Commission is “assessing concerns” raised over a charity set up by Prince Harry, after the royal quit his role as its patron.
A bitter row has erupted at the heart of the charity Sentebale, which the Duke of Sussex founded in 2006 with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho to help children in southern Africa, particularly those living with HIV and Aids.
The duke and Prince Seeiso were among several trustees to quit the organisation in recent days, following a boardroom battle in which they requested the resignation of the charity’s chair Dr Sophie Chandauka.
The two princes said they had resigned “in support of and solidarity with the board of trustees who have had to do the same”, adding: “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.”
Dr Chandauka – who was appointed chair last year, in a move which the trustees were reportedly unhappy with – has retaliated by suing the charity in a bid to retain her position, the two princes said in a joint statement.
In response, the embattled chair appeared to accuse Prince Harry of playing “the victim card” and using “the very press they disdain to harm people who have the courage to challenge their conduct”.
Dr Chandauka alleged that she had “dared to blow the whistle about issues of poor governance, weak executive management, abuse of power, bullying, harassment, misogyny, misogynoir – and the cover-up that ensued”.
The Charity Commission has now told The Independent it is “assessing concerns about the governance of Sentebale”.
The Times cited a source close to the matter as saying that the watchdog’s work – described by a Commission spokesperson as “assessing the issues to determine the appropriate regulatory steps” – amounted to a fact-finding mission to see “how the commission might help the charity with its problems”.
Dr Chandauka was the first party to raise concerns with the watchdog about Sentebale, a source at the Commission reportedly confirmed to the newspaper, which said that the two princes and other trustees will also submit evidence.
Asked about the claims, the Commission said it was unable to confirm which parties have raised concerns.
A spokesperson said: “We have already made clear that we are assessing concerns about the governance of Sentebale, and naturally that involves seeking information from a range of parties involved.”
Harry’s role at Sentebale was one of a small number of private patronages he retained after he was stripped of his royal patronages and honorary military positions by the late Queen in 2021, following his departure from the working monarchy.
Harry spent two months in Lesotho during his gap year when he was 19 in 2004, which inspired him to establish the charity two years later, which now also works in Botswana. He visited Lesotho and Prince Seeiso last October, where he talked to a group of young people about the “massive difference” Sentebale was making.
In a previous statement, Sentebale said it had not received resignations from either of the royal patrons and said the “recalibration of the board is part of Sentebale’s ambitious transformation agenda”.
A spokesperson previously said: “We are pleased to confirm the restructuring of our board on 25 March 2025 to introduce experts with the capabilities and networks to accelerate Sentebale’s transformation agenda as announced last year.
“In April 2024, Sentebale signalled its evolution from a development organisation focused on addressing the impact of HIV/Aids on the lives of children and young people in Lesotho and Botswana to one that is addressing issues of youth health, wealth and climate resilience in Southern Africa.”
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