The chair of Prince Harry’s former charity, Sentebale, is alleging she experienced “bullying” from the Duke of Sussex and his PR “machine.”
In an interview with Sky News on Sunday, Dr. Sophie Chandauka made several claims about her past experiences with Prince Harry and the organization, including an incident at a polo fundraiser last year with Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex.
Chandauka said in her interview that for the 2024 Royal Salute Polo Challenge in Florida, Prince Harry wanted to bring a Netflix crew to the event, which led the charity to lose its original venue due to increased costs, forcing a switch to a different one.
An additional last-minute change occurred when the Duchess of Sussex, who was not originally planned to be there, attended.
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“The duchess decided to attend, but she told us she wasn’t attending, and she brought a friend, a very famous friend,” she said.
That led to an awkward moment where, according to Chandauka, “The choreography went badly on stage because we had too many people on stage. The international press captured this, and there was a lot of talk about the duchess and the choreography on stage and whether she should have been there and her treatment of me.”
The media attention from that moment prompted Prince Harry to ask that she issue a statement in support of Markle, Chandauka claimed.
“I said I wouldn’t. Not because I didn’t care about the duchess, but because I knew what would happen if I did so, number one. And number two, because we cannot be an extension of the Sussexes.”
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Fox News Digital reached out to Chanadauka and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for formal comment but did not immediately receive a response.
A source close to trustees and patrons says they fully expected this publicity stunt and reached their collective decision with this in mind. They remain firm in their resignation, for the good of the charity, and look forward to the adjudication of the truth.
In the interview, Chandauka also claimed she experienced “bullying” from Prince Harry and the unleashing of what she called the “Sussex [PR] machine.”
“The only reason I’m here… is because at some point on Tuesday, Prince Harry authorized the release of a damaging piece of news to the outside world without informing me or my country directors, or my executive director. And can you imagine what that attack has done for me, on me and the 540 individuals in the Sentebale organizations and their family? That is an example of harassment and bullying at scale.”
A source familiar with events countered Chandauka’s claims, saying both Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho had sent a resignation letter to the chair as well as trustees on March 10.
On Tuesday, March 25, Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso resigned from Sentebale, the charity they co-founded in 2006.
“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,” Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso said in a joint statement obtained by Fox News Digital.
“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 statement continued.
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According to The Times, the charity carried out a “restructuring” of its board as “confirmation of its strategy to redeploy senior roles to be proximate to most of the team and programs in southern Africa.” The outlet reported that Chandauka is believed to be suing the charity’s trustees after they voiced concerned over her leadership.
Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso shared that the trustees “acted in the best interest of the charity,” despite ongoing tensions with Chandauka.
“These trustees acted in the best interest of the charity in asking the chair to step down, while keeping the well-being of staff in mind. In turn, she sued the charity to remain in this voluntary position, further underscoring the broken relationship.”
Chandauka has reportedly filed a lawsuit against Sentebale in the High Court, and accused both princes of playing the “victim card,” CBS reported.
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“I chose to join Sentebale first and foremost as a proud African who understands that – in the spirit of Ubuntu [interconnectedness] – to whom much is given, much is expected,” she said in a statement to CBS. “Everything I do at Sentebale is in pursuit of the integrity of the organization, its mission, and the young people we serve. 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,” the statement continued. “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 [misogyny directed towards Black women] and the cover-up that ensued. I could be anyone.”
Fox News Digital’s Christina Dugan Ramirez contributed to this report.
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