Prince Harry has dramatically quit the charity he set up to help children affected by HIV in Botswana and Lesotho amid a poisonous battle for control within the organization.
The charity, Sentebale, responded that it is “pleased” to confirm its board has been restructured and said it was now no longer focused on HIV-related issues but on “youth health, wealth and climate resilience in Southern Africa.”
According to a bombshell report in the London Times, Harry–who has raised millions for the charity he established in 2006–has been forced out, along with his co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, after losing a bitter battle to get rid of the chair of the board of the charity, Sophie Chandauka, a Zimbabwe-born lawyer.
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Sentebale is now being investigated by the U.K. Charity Commission.
In a joint statement, which is yet to be officially released but was been obtained by The Times, Harry and his co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho wrote: “What’s transpired is unthinkable. We are in shock that we have to do this.”
They said: “Nearly 20 years ago, we founded Sentebale in honour of our mothers. Sentebale means ‘forget-me-not’ in Sesotho, the local language of Lesotho, and it’s what we’ve always promised for the young people we’ve served through this charity.
“Today is no different. With heavy hearts, we have resigned from our roles as patrons of the organization until further notice, in support of and solidarity with the board of trustees who have had to do the same. 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.”
The Times said that a group of trustees had asked Chandauka to resign, and that she had retaliated by suing the trustees, who have now also quit.
The princes’ statement said: “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.”
The departing trustees said in a statement: “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.”
A spokesman for Sentebale told The Times that the charity had not received notice of the princes’ resignation.
The spokesman added: “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 signaled its evolution from a development organization 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. Our highly successful Return to Southern Africa campaign with prospective international funders in October 2024 demonstrated Sentebale’s potential in these domains.”
Prince Harry’s office confirmed the joint statement obtained by The Times.
The Daily Beast has contacted Sentebale for comment.
