Prince Harry ‘in shock’ after resigning from charity founded in Diana’s honour
Global News
Prince Harry cited conflict between members of the board and the chair of the board, who refused to step down, as the reason for his resignation.
Prince Harry said he was “in shock” after resigning as a patron of Sentebale, an African charity he co-founded nearly 20 years ago to help young people with HIV and AIDS in Lesotho and Botswana.
The Duke of Sussex said the reason for his resignation was due to conflict between members of the board and Sophie Chandauka, the chair of the board who refused to step down and sued the charity in order to retain her position, according to The Times.
Prince Harry co-founded Sentebale in memory of his late mother, Princess Diana, with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho in 2006 after he spent time working at an orphanage in Lesotho during a gap year.
Prince Seeiso and the board of trustees have also joined Harry in leaving Sentebale following the breakdown of the relationship between board members and Chandauka.
In a joint statement, the princes said, “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.”
“Nearly 20 years ago, we founded Sentebale in honor 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,” they continued. “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 well-being of staff in mind. In turn, she sued the charity to remain in this voluntary position, further underscoring the broken relationship,” the princes’ statement continued.
