Prince Harry resigns from Princess Diana-inspired charity he co-founded
Prince Harry has announced his resignation from a charity he cofounded in 2006 to honor his mother, the late Princess Diana.
Harry, 40, said in a statement Tuesday that he is stepping down as a patron of Sentebale, a nonprofit organization that helps children with HIV/AIDS in Lesotho and Botswana, due to a relationship between the nonprofit's chairwoman and its board of trustees that he says is "beyond repair."
Harry issued the statement along with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, with whom Harry founded Sentebale after spending his gap year in Lesotho in 2004. Harry has said Sentebale, which means "forget me not" in Sesotho, the official language of Lesotho, is a tribute to his late mother Diana, whose favorite flower was the forget-me-not and who was one of the early pioneers to destigmatize HIV/AIDS.
"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," Harry and Seeiso said in their statement, shared with ABC News. "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. 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."
The cofounders ended their statement by saying they will always support Sentebale.
"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," they said. "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."
In her own statement Tuesday, Sentebale's chairwoman, Sophie Chandauka, accused the charity's board of trustees of "poor governance" and "bullying."
"Beneath all the victim narrative and fiction that has been syndicated to (the) 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 and misogynoir," Chandauka said in the statement, shared with ABC News.
Chandauka has reported Sentebale's trustees to the United Kingdom's Charity Commission -- the government entity that regulates registered charities in England and Wales --and filed papers in a British court to prevent her removal, according to The Associated Press.
A spokesperson for the Charity Commission confirmed to ABC News Wednesday that they are "assessing" Sentebale, which is registered in the United Kingdom, where Harry lived until 2020, when he stepped away from his role as a senior working royal and moved to California.
"We can confirm that we are aware of concerns about the governance of Sentebale. We are assessing the issues to determine the appropriate regulatory steps," the spokesperson said.
In a statement Tuesday, Sentebale confirmed a "restructuring" of its board of trustees.
"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," the statement said. "Our highly successful Return to Southern Africa (RTSA) campaign with prospective international funders in October 2024 demonstrated Sentebale's potential in these domains. The RTSA was followed by the announcement of Carmel Gaillard as our Interim Executive Director based in Johannesburg in December 2024. This followed Sentebale's confirmation of its strategy to redeploy senior roles to be proximate to most of the team and programmes in Southern Africa. The recalibration of the Board is, therefore, part of Sentebale's ambitious transformation agenda."
Sentebale has long been a passion project for Harry, who has made many private and public visits to Lesotho over the years and has raised money for the nonprofit through charity polo matches and other fundraisers.
In 2015, Harry visited Lesotho for the opening of the Mamohato's Children Centre, where he named the dining room the "Princess of Wales Hall," after Diana.
The organization said in a statement on X Wednesday that its work on the ground in Southern Africa will continue.
"It's the incredible teams on the ground -- our staff and local partners -- who bring our mission to life every day, walking alongside the children and young people we serve," the organization said. "While Trustees are key for governance and regulation, and Patrons -- especially Founders -- are an honour to have, it's the people in the field who are advancing the work, no matter what."
The statement continued, "Our commitment to supporting youth in Southern Africa with better health, stronger livelihoods, and climate resilience remains as strong as ever. The work continues because they deserve nothing less."
