Prince Harry will reportedly not return to the “tarnished” Sentebale because of his bitter feud with the charity’s chair Sophie Chandauka, it has been reported. The charity, which Harry co-founded in 2006, is said to have been undergoing a funding crisis since the Duke of Sussex stepped down from his role as patron last year.
The bitter row saw Sophie accuse Harry of bullying, racism and misogyny, which then saw Harry take a step back from the charity altogether. Sentebale, which was set up in honour of the late Princess Diana, was founded to help young people and children in southern Africa, particularly those living with HIV and Aids.
Since Harry’s decision to step down, the charity has experienced mass resignations through the board of directors and the Charity Commission has also produced a damning report of the state of affairs.
Sources close to the charity have now told The Times: “The idea that Harry was ever going to return has been completely extinguished. There’s absolutely no way now. It’s all too tarnished.”
Speaking of the current state of the charity, sources in Botswana have also told the publication that the charity was “not working at all”.
They also added that there was a “real cash flow problem”, with operations in Lesotho “getting into the red”.
In April last year, Harry’s statement confirming his decision to step down read: “From the inception of Sentebale nearly 20 years ago, Prince Seeiso and I have had a clear goal: to support the children and young people in Southern Africa in memory of our mothers.
“What has transpired over the last week has been heartbreaking to witness, especially when such blatant lies hurt those who have invested decades in this shared goal. No one suffers more than the beneficiaries of Sentebale itself.”
As well as a statement of her own, Dr Sophie Chandauka also spoke to Sky News where she accused Harry of “harassment and bullying” – as well as “”unleashing of the Sussex machine”.
In a statement, she also said: “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.”
