Prince Harry, African charity row rumbles on as watchdog blames ‘all parties’

The UK charity watchdog has cleared Prince Harry of accusations of bullying in a row with an African charity he founded, but deplored that the bitter internal dispute was played out in public. Photo / Justin Tallis, AFP

An African charity says it will consider further action in a row with its co-founder, Prince Harry, after a British watchdog criticised “all parties” for letting the bitter internal dispute play out in public.

Without naming individuals, Britain’s Charity Commission pointed to “mismanagement” at the Aids charity Sentebale but said it found no evidence of “bullying” – a charge that had been levelled at Harry by the organisation’s chairwoman, Sophie Chandauka, in March.

Days earlier, Harry – the youngest son of King Charles – and co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho had announced they were resigning from the charity they established in 2006, after the trustees quit when Chandauka refused their demand to step down.

Harry, also known as the Duke of Sussex, launched the charity in honour of his mother, Princess Diana, to help young people with HIV and Aids in Lesotho and later Botswana.

After a months-long inquiry, the commission “found no evidence of widespread or systemic bullying or harassment, including misogyny or misogynoir (prejudice against black women) at the charity”, it said in its conclusions published Wednesday.

But it “criticised all parties to the dispute for allowing it to play out publicly” saying the “damaging internal dispute” had “severely impacted the charity’s reputation”.

It found there was “a lack of clarity in delegations” which led to “mismanagement in the administration of the charity” and issued the organisation with a plan to “address governance weaknesses”.

‘Heartbreaking’

Sentebale said in a statement that it welcomed the findings.

Chandauka, who was appointed to the voluntary post in 2023 and remains the charity’s chair, said she “appreciated” the conclusions, saying that they “confirm the governance concerns I raised privately in February 2025”.

But a Sentebale spokesperson said in a later statement that the watchdog “has not made any findings in relation to individuals”, meaning Harry “was not cleared of individual claims”.

The spokesperson added that Sentebale “would certainly consider” referring the issues not dealt with to a different organisation, such as the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service.

A spokesperson for Harry said the probe “falls troublingly short in many regards”.

“Primarily the fact that the consequences of the current chair’s actions will not be borne by her – but by the children who rely on Sentebale’s support,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

“The Duke of Sussex will now focus on finding new ways to continue supporting the children of Lesotho and Botswana.”

Harry said in an April statement that the events had “been heartbreaking to witness, especially when such blatant lies hurt those who have invested decades in this shared goal”.

Objections

Speaking to British media after accusing the prince of trying to force her out, Chandauka criticised Harry for his decision to bring a Netflix camera crew to a fundraiser last year. She also objected to an unplanned appearance by his wife, Meghan, at the event.

The accusations were a fresh blow for the prince, who kept up only a handful of his private patronages, including with Sentebale, after a dramatic split with the British royal family in 2020. That was when he left Britain to live in North America with his wife and children.

Harry chose the name Sentebale as a tribute to Diana, who died in a Paris car crash in 1997 when the prince was just 12. It means “forget me not” in the Sesotho language and is also used to say goodbye.

“Moving forward I urge all parties not to lose sight of those who rely on the charity’s services,” said the commission’s chief executive David Holdsworth.

In her statement, Chandauka added: “Despite the recent turbulence, we will always be inspired by the vision of our Founders, Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso.”

-Agence France-Presse