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11 Aug 2025 14:12
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  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    Prince Harry was "unsurprised" that an investigation into the charity he co-founded has ruled he had done nothing wrong

    The 40-year-old royal - who founded Sentebale almost 20 years ago with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho to offer support for people in southern African battling HIV and Aids - stepped down from the charity in March after a row between the trustees and chair Dr. Sophie Chandauka, and a subsequent investigation launched by the Charity Commission for England and Wales released its findings on Tuesday (05.08.25)


    The probe found no evidence of the chair's allegations of "widespread or systemic bullying, harassment, misogyny or misogynoir" at Sentebale, nor any "overreach" by either Harry or Sophie.

    However, the Charity Commission criticised both sides for allowing the dispute to "play out publicly" and blamed poor internal governance and a "failure to resolve disputes internally" for having "severely impacted the charity's reputation and risked undermining public trust in charities more generally."

    In a statement in response, Harry's spokesperson said: "Unsurprisingly, the Commission makes no findings of wrongdoing in relation to Sentebale's Co-Founder and former Patron, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex. They also found no evidence of widespread bullying, harassment or misogyny and misogynoir at the charity, as falsely claimed by the current Chair.

    "Despite all that, their report falls troublingly short in many regards, primarily the fact that the consequences of the current Chair's actions will not be borne by her - but by the children who rely on Sentebale's support."

    Sentebale's former trustees expressed their disappointment that the Charity Commission had failed to look into some of the "key concerns" they raised about Sophie.

    They said in a statement: "We are disheartened by the way in which the Charity Commission has chosen to ignore key concerns and irrefutable evidence raised with them regarding the leadership and oversight of Sentebale's Chair.

    "We accept there is always room to strengthen governance of an organisation, which is why we welcomed a governance review by the Chair initiated in February 2024, and that should have only taken a matter of months - we unfortunately never saw a report or any outcomes enacted, more than two years into her tenure.

    "We remain gravely concerned for the future of the charity and the wellbeing of the communities we served for 19 years, following the mission set out by Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso in honour of their mothers."

    The charity's current board have accepted the findings and vowed to carry out recommendations, including addressing their internal dispute policy, improve the charity's complaints and whistleblowing procedures and establish clearer processes for delegating authority.

    The Commission will monitor progress in the action plan which they set out.

    Sophie said: "I appreciate the Charity Commission for its conclusions, which confirm the governance concerns I raised privately in February 2025. The experience was intense, and it became a test of our strategic clarity and operational resilience.

    "I thank every dedicated colleague and the courageous new Board members who have stayed focused on the mission in the face of unprecedented media glare.

    "The unexpected adverse media campaign that was launched by those who resigned on 24 March 2025 has caused incalculable damage and offers a glimpse of the unacceptable behaviours displayed in private. We are emerging not just grateful to have survived, but stronger: more focused, better governed, boldly ambitious and with our dignity intact."

    "Despite the recent turbulence, we will always be inspired by the vision of our Founders, Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso, who established Sentebale in memory of their precious mothers, Princess Diana and Queen 'Mamohato.

    "To all who believe in our mission: please walk with us as Sentebale recovers, renews, and rises to meet the hopes and expectations of the next generation."

    A number of trustees had previously requested Dr. Chandauka - who was appointed chair last year - step down, but she refused to resign.

    Instead, she fired back and insisted she has been targeted for trying to raise awareness of "abuse of power, bullying, harassment [and] misogyny" within the organisation.

    © 2025 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

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