The chair of a charity set up by Prince Harry has accused him of “harassment and bullying at scale” after he and several others quit the organisation earlier this week.
The Duke of Sussex was said to have initiated the campaign by the “unleashing of the Sussex machine”.
Dr Sophie Chandauka, the chair of the charity Sentebale, which helps children and adolescents struggling to come to terms with diagnoses of HIV and Aids, told Trevor Phillips on Sky News: “The only reason I’m here … is because at some point on Tuesday, Prince Harry authorised the release of a damaging piece of news to the outside world without informing me or my country directors, or my executive director. That is an example of harassment and bullying at scale.”
On Tuesday, Prince Harry quit as patron of the charity. He released a joint statement with co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, claiming they had been forced to step down “in support of and solidarity with” the board of trustees who had also resigned, due to a dispute with Chandauka, which reportedly arose from a decision to focus fundraising in Africa.
Harry and Seeiso wrote that the relationship “broke down beyond repair, creating an untenable situation”.
Sky News reported that one of its sources, who is “close to the former trustees of the Sentebale charity”, said that Chandauka’s accusation that she was bullied by Prince Harry and the “Sussex machine” was completely baseless.
In a statement earlier this week, Chandauka 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.
“Beneath all the victim narrative and fiction that has been syndicated to the 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.”
Sentebale was set up in 2006 by Harry after spending two months in Lesotho during his gap year in 2004.
The prince’s acrimonious departure from the charity comes five years after he told a Sentebale dinner party in 2020: “When I lost my mum … you took me under your wing. You looked out for me for so long. Together, you have given me an education about living, and this role has taught me more about what is right and just than I could ever have imagined,” he told dinner guests. “We are taking a leap of faith, so thank you for giving me the courage to take this next step.”
Representatives for Harry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the allegations.
