Why Prince Harry quit South African charity, started in honour of his mother Diana

Britain’s Prince Harry has chosen to step away from the charity he helped establish nearly two decades ago.

The **Duke of Sussex** founded ‘Sentebale’ in Lesotho in 2006 to honour his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, after visiting the country during his gap year.

The charity, which focuses on youth welfare, was co-founded with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho.

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Notably, Harry, who now lives in California with his wife **Meghan** and their two children, stepped back from royal duties in 2020.

He has long been engaged in humanitarian work in Africa and also visited Nigeria last year.

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But what led him to leave the charity he played a key role in establishing? What causes does Sentebale focus on?

Here’s what we know.

Why Prince Harry quit Sentebale

Harry has stated that he was forced to step down due to ongoing internal conflicts between the board of trustees and the charity’s chairwoman, Dr Sophie Chandauka.

“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,” they said in a statement.

Notably, Chandauka, a Zimbabwe-born lawyer, was appointed chair of the board of trustees last year. Reports indicate that the dispute revolves around a loss of trust and confidence in her leadership.

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According to The Times, the charity is in crisis and is now under investigation by the Charity Commission.

Chandauka is reportedly suing the trustees after they raised concerns about her suitability to lead the board. The dispute appears to have originated from a decision to relocate the charity’s fundraising operations to Africa, leading to the departure of several key figures, Daily Mail reported.

Prince Harry sided with the trustees, stating they had acted in the charity’s best interest in requesting Chandauka’s resignation.

“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,” Harry and Prince Seeiso said in a statement.

“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.”

Former trustees Timothy Boucher, Mark Dyer, Audrey Kgosidintsi, Kelello Lerotholi, and Damian West stated that they had made the difficult decision to resign unanimously, but are “deeply proud to have supported the visionary work of the founding patrons Prince Seeiso and Prince Harry.”

They added that they had lost trust and confidence in Chandauka, and her legal action left them with no choice but to step down in the “best interest of the charity,” as the organisation could not bear the “legal and financial burden.”

What did Chandauka say?

In response, Sophie Chandauka released a statement stating that she would not be intimidated by the unexpected resignations, The New York Post reported.

“For me, this is not a vanity project from which I can resign when I am called to account,” she stated, adding that she had reported the trustees to the Charity Commission.

On Tuesday, Chandauka said her actions “are guided by the principles of fairness and equitable treatment for all, regardless of social status or financial means”, according to The Times.

In a statement, she confirmed that she had reported the trustees to the Charity Commission and that the High Court had issued an emergency injunction preventing them from removing her.

When asked why she had taken these steps, she said: “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 – and the cover-up that ensued.”

The Charity Commission, in response to queries from BBC News, confirmed that it was “aware of concerns about the governance” of Prince Harry’s charity.

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What issues does the organisation deal with?

Sentebale, which translates to “Forget me not”, was established to support people in Lesotho and Botswana living in poverty and those affected by HIV and Aids.

Harry was inspired to create the charity after spending two months in Lesotho during his gap year in 2004.

During his time in the southern African nation, which has one of the highest rates of HIV and Aids globally, he met Aids orphans, spoke with traumatised young people, and visited herd boys who endure harsh conditions while tending cattle in remote mountainous areas.

The Duke visited Lesotho and Prince Seeiso again as recently as last October, where he sat with young people around a campfire and spoke about the “massive difference” Sentebale was making.

In April 2024, Sentebale announced its transition from a development organisation focused on the impact of HIV/Aids on children and young people to a broader initiative addressing youth health, economic empowerment, and climate resilience in Southern Africa.

“Since our founding in 2006, we have been driven by solutions informed by children, their caregivers, and the young people we serve, to address both deep-seated systemic issues and individual needs of the moment. Paired with the convening power of our co-founders, this allows us to deliver outsized impact. We call this ‘The Sentebale Way’,” its website states.

The charity clarified that it had “not received resignations from either Royal Patron”, though it did confirm a “restructuring” of its board on Tuesday.

In 2023, the organisation underwent huge changes following the resignation of advertising expert Johnny Hornby, who stepped down after 11 years as a trustee, five of which he spent as chairman.

With inputs from agencies