In a message to supporters on Wednesday afternoon, the Sentebale charity, founded two decades ago by Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, tried to put a brave face on an extraordinary 24 hours. “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 charity said.
“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.”
It was a worthy sentiment, perhaps, but the uncomfortable truth is that the statement was being issued as Sentebale – named “forget-me-not”, in the local language of Lesotho, in honour of Harry’s late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales – was in the midst of a spectacular implosion.
Harry and Seeiso had earlier taken the “unthinkable” decision to stand down as patrons over the “untenable” leadership of Dr Sophie Chandauka, the chair of the African charity’s board.
Chandauka, a Zimbabwe-born corporate lawyer, in turn unleashed an eye-watering attack in which she made little effort to hide her scorn for the youngest son of King Charles.
“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,” she wrote.
“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.”
Chandauka added that she had made an application to the high court in order to stay in her position and had reported the charity’s trustees, who have also resigned, to the Charity Commission for investigation.
Chandauka’s lawyers declined to provide further details as to their client’s case against Sentebale. Harry’s PR team have resisted attempts to be drawn further on the affair. But insiders suggest that at the heart of the drama was a clash of cultures.
Over a 20-year career, Chandauka has worked for some of the world’s biggest companies, including Meta, Morgan Stanley and the Virgin Group. She inherited a successful charity but one that some concede had become reliant on the annual Sentebale polo cup and a certain section of society dipping into their pockets.
According to one account, the charity survived the financial fallout of the Covid pandemic largely thanks to a pro bono performance by the pop star James Blunt, who was previously an army officer in the Household cavalry, at the Cotswold home of the previous chair, Johnny Hornby.
Chandauka “wanted to do it differently”, said a source. It is understood that a decision was made to hire the “women-led strategy firm” Lebec at a significant cost. This led to a shift of the charity’s leadership away from London to southern Africa. Fundraising efforts would also now be focused more on the west coast of the US than the shires, according to one source.
Last April, Lebec “convened a reception, panel discussion and intimate dinner to highlight Sentebale’s impactful work” at the Zaytinya restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton on Miami’s South Beach.
There was then a visit by Harry to Lesotho and Johannesburg with executives from potential donors, including Google.
Insiders who have worked in Sentebale said they could understand the move away from “a bunch of white blokes”. It was also one that chimed with the wider thinking in Africa about the role of western charities.
Prof Bhekinkosi Moyo, at Wits business school at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, said: “There is value in proximity. A number of times institutions fly in, almost like they are parachuting into the region.
“They struggle with localisation, but also they struggle with understanding what the issues are, because culturally they may not be attuned to what’s going on … That notion of a white gaze or parachuting in to solve people’s problems.”
The problem for Sentebale, according to one insider, was that the strategy did not elicit the major donations that had been foreseen.
“They got back, and I think the story was because Donald Trump’s come these donors aren’t as interested as we thought,” a source said. “I think the trustees then started moving towards thinking she should stand down.”
Chandauka then “sued the charity to remain” in her “voluntary position”, according to a statement from Harry’s spokesperson.
Sentebale insiders said they could not see how Chandauka could keep the charity afloat without its royal patrons.
In a statement to the Guardian, her spokesperson said that “a lot of information being shared is untrue and defamatory in nature”.
They added: “When we are ready as an organisation, we will share more detail regarding the events leading up to this point. Moreover, the board acts collectively on major decisions, and it would be inappropriate to assume decisions were made by any one person.”
