The Charity Commission said it was looking into “concerns about the governance of Sentebale”.
The Duke founded the charity in 2006 in memory of his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, to support children affected by HIV in the tiny mountain kingdom of Lesotho and nearby Botswana.
Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, his co-founder, has also stepped down after a devastating breakdown in trust between new chairwoman Sophia Chandauka, who was appointed last summer, and the board.
When the trustees asked Ms Chandauka to stand down, she is said to have sued the charity in a bid to retain her position.
In a joint statement, the two princes said they were “truly heartbroken” about the developments.
“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,” they said.
“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.”
They added: “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.”
The two princes said they were “truly heartbroken” about the developments. Photo / Getty Images
Five former trustees including Mark Dyer, an Army captain and the Duke’s long-time mentor, also released a statement confirming they felt forced to step down for the sake of the organisation.
“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,” they said.
“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.”
‘We will always be its founders’
Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso added: “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.”
They added: “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.”
The row reportedly centred on a decision by the new chairwoman to focus on fundraising in Africa.
In December, the charity shifted its operation to southern Africa, announcing it was part of a strategy to “invest in the growth of a locally led organisation” and “place the most critical senior roles in close proximity to its programmes”.
Shortly afterwards, Richard Miller quit as chief executive after five years in the role and was replaced by Johannesburg-based Carmel Gaillard.
Miller said that it was “the next logical step for Sentebale” and that “the time is right for this shift to local leadership”.
Last October, Baroness Chalker of Wallasey, the former overseas development minister, stepped down as a director.
Andrew Tucker, another executive, who was known affectionately to Harry as “Tucks”, has also recently stepped down after almost a decade.
Three new directors were appointed to the board on Tuesday, according to Companies House.
Sentebale said that it had not received resignations from either Prince Harry or Prince Seeiso. Photo / Getty Images
The Duke was inspired to set up Sentebale, which means “forget-me-not” in Sesotho, the local language, after spending two months in Lesotho during his gap year in 2004. He held a number of fundraising polo events for the charity.
As recently as last October, he travelled to Lesotho to reunite with Prince Seeiso and in December, he attended an event in New York on behalf of the charity.
Sentebale said on Tuesday evening that it had not received resignations from either Prince Harry or Prince Seeiso.
The charity said in a statement that it was “pleased to confirm” the restructuring of its board to accelerate the transformation of its agenda.
It said the organisation was evolving from one 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”.
