Prince Harry has been accused of "harassment and bullying at scale" during an interview the chair of Sentebale — a charity he founded in honour of his late mother — gave on the UK's Sky News.
It's the latest development in a story that has been gathering increased attention in the British media.
Here's a recap of what happened, what could happen next, and why it's such a big story.
Prince Harry quits charity
The first reports about the matter came last week, when Prince Harry issued a statement saying he'd resigned from the role as the charity's patron "until further notice".
The blame was pointed at the chair of the board of trustees, Sophie Chandauka.
But it wasn't just Harry's statement — it came from Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, who he'd founded the charity with.
The two princes said they said they were resigning "in support of and solidarity with" five trustees who also quit.
"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," they said.
"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."
The princes said they'd be taking their concerns about Sentebale to the UK government's Charity Commission.
Their statement also included quotes from five trustees on the board who said they were resigning.
You can read the full statements below.
Statement from Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso
"Nearly twenty years ago, we founded Sentebale in honour 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 organisation until further notice, in support of and solidarity with the board of trustees who have had to do the same. 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 wellbeing of staff in mind. In turn, she sued the charity to remain in this voluntary position, further underscoring the broken relationship.
"We thank all the trustees for their service over the years and are truly heartbroken they've had to follow through with this act.
"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.
"Although we may no longer be Patrons, we will always be its founders, and we will never forget what this charity is capable of achieving when it is in the right care."
Statement from departing trustees
Timothy Boucher, Mark Dyer, Audrey Kgosidintsi, Kelello Lerotholi, and Damian West:
"As a group of British and African trustees, we have made the difficult decision to unanimously resign as board members of Sentebale. We are deeply proud to have supported the visionary work of the Founding Patrons Prince Seeiso and Prince Harry, who founded Sentebale in memory of their mothers. For two decades, Sentebale has championed hundreds of thousands of children and young people, providing them with care, training and life skills, which not only benefit each individual child they support, but their families and their communities as a whole.
"Today's decision is nothing short of devastating for all of us, but we see no other path forward as the result of our loss in trust and confidence in the Chair of the board.
"Our priority has always been, and will always be, what's in the best interest of the charity, and it's desperately sad the breakdown in relationship escalated to a lawsuit by the Chair against the charity, to block us from voting her out after our request for her resignation was rejected. We could not in good conscience allow Sentebale to undertake that legal and financial burden and have been left with no other option but to vacate our positions. This was not a choice willingly made, but rather something we felt forced into in order to look after the charity.
"Our sincere hope is that with this decision, the road ahead steadies for the sake of our staff and the communities we serve. Sentebale is simply too important to us."
Chair hits back with 'bullying' claim
The ABC contacted the charity for comment a few hours later.
Its media team responded with a statement from the charity as well as a statement from Dr Chandauka.
"My actions are guided by the principles of fairness and equitable treatment for all, regardless of social status or financial means," she 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."
Dr Chandauka said she had reported trustees to the UK's Charity Commission.
She also said the UK's High Court had accepted her application to hear her legal matter.
You can read those statements in full below:
Sentebale's statement:
"We are pleased to confirm the restructuring of our Board on 25 March 2025 to introduce experts with the capabilities and networks to accelerate Sentebale's transformation agenda as announced last year. In April 2024, Sentebale signalled its evolution from a development organisation focused on addressing the impact of HIV/AIDS on the lives of children and young people in Lesotho and Botswana, to one that is addressing issues of youth health, wealth and climate resilience in Southern Africa. Our highly successful Return to Southern Africa (RTSA) campaign with prospective international funders in October 2024 demonstrated Sentebale's potential in these domains. The RTSA was followed by the announcement of Carmel Gaillard as our Interim Executive Director based in Johannesburg in December 2024. This followed Sentebale's confirmation of its strategy to redeploy senior roles to be proximate to most of the team and programmes in Southern Africa. The recalibration of the Board is, therefore, part of Sentebale's ambitious transformation agenda.
"The charity has not received resignations from the Royal Patrons."
Sophie Chandauka's statement:
"I chose to join Sentebale first and foremost as a proud African who understands that, in the spirit of ubuntu: to whom much is given, much is expected. Everything I do at Sentebale is in pursuit of the integrity of the organisation, its mission, and the young people we serve. My actions are guided by the principles of fairness and equitable treatment for all, regardless of social status or financial means. 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. Discerning readers will ask themselves: why would the Chair of the Board report her own Trustees to the Charity Commission? Why would the High Court of England and Wales accept her application to hear the matter at all if the case had no merit? 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 coverup that ensued. I could be anyone. I just happen to be an educated woman who understands that the law will guide and protect me. I will say nothing further on this matter at this time. I have one job. I must focus on fundraising for the very important work of the young people who inspire the incredible team at Sentebale who make sacrifices daily at a time when geopolitics is severely impacting funding for development work in Africa. For me, this is not a vanity project from which I can resign when I am called to account. I am an African who has had the privilege of a worldclass education and career. I will not be intimidated. I must stand for something. I stand for those other women who do not have the ways and means.
"I am indebted to those who have stood by me and picked up my urgent call for help so that we can continue the mission at Sentebale. I will continue to faithfully perform my role as Chair of the Board, and I look forward to the opportunity to work with others who are interested in issues of health, wealth and climate resilience for young people in Africa."
Chandauka gives Sky News interview
Over the weekend, Dr Chandauka spoke to British broadcaster Sky News.
She appeared on the program Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, which aired on Sunday night Australian time, alongside newly appointed trustee Iain Rawlinson.
In the 20-minute segment, Dr Chandauka said Prince Harry's statement was an example of "harassment and bullying at scale" and that he did not inform the board of his resignation beforehand.
She said he'd brief sponsors of the charity against her and interfered in an investigation into her claims of bullying and misogyny within the charity.
The chair clarified that she wasn't accusing the prince of these claims, but said he was involved in trying to cover up her complaint.
Key moments from the interview
Here's a recap of some of the key moments from the 20-minute interview.
- Donors leave charity: Dr Chandauka told the program the charity had lost "quite a number" of corporate sponsors and donations from individuals and families when Prince Harry stepped down as a senior royal and left the UK
- Ex-trustee refutes claim: Phillips said former trustee Kelello Lerotholi didn't recognise the picture Dr Chandauka was painting, but she said he wasn't at every meeting
- Another ex-trustee calls chair "dictatorial": Phillips said another former trustee, Lynda Chalker, described Dr Chandauka as "almost dictatorial", to which she replied: "Change is hard for some people, let me just put it that way"
- Polo tournament fundraiser derailed: Dr Chandauka said Prince Harry's request to have cameras from his Netflix show film the Miami polo match resulted in a venue change. She also said Sentebale was caught off guard by the attendance of Prince Harry's wife the Duchess of Sussex. She said "the choreography went badly" when Meghan was on stage, which prompted "a lot of talk" about the moment
- Refusal to put out a press release: Dr Chandauka said Prince Harry asked her to "issue some sort of a statement about the Duchess", but she declined partly because she did not want the charity to be "an extension of the Sussex PR machine"
- Harry accused of wanting to "eject" chair from organisation: Dr Chandauka said Prince Harry and his team briefed donors against her.
- Harry accused of bullying and harassment: Dr Chandauka said Prince Harry's statement was an example of "harassment and bullying at scale" and he did not inform the charity before issuing it.
- "Whistleblower complaint" about bullying: Dr Chandauka said she complained about bullying and misogyny, accusing Prince Harry of interfering in the investigation of her complaint. "It's a cover up and the prince is involved," she said.
- Harry not accused of misogyny: When asked to clarify, Dr Chandauka said she had a "great" relationship with Prince Harry, but said "some members on the board" treated her differently to the former male chair
Timing of resignation in question
The princes sent their resignation letter to Dr Chandauka on March 10, two weeks before going public, syndicated news agency the Associated Press (AP) reported.
But AP did not name the source, instead referring to them as a "person close to the charity's patrons and trustees and familiar with events".
Here's how AP phrased it:
"The person said the trustees and patrons were firm in their decision to leave and had collectively decided to resign with the expectation [Dr] Chandauka would pull such a publicity stunt after their departure."
Here's what Dr Chandauka said when was asked on Sky News if she knew of the princes' departure before their statements were issued:
"We were informed that they had the intention to withdraw if I went to the High Court and succeeded."
How has Prince Harry responded?
Prince Harry hasn't responded to Dr Chandauka's claims.
Royal commentator and author Juliet Rieden doesn't think we'll hear anything directly from the prince any time soon.
"My understanding is that he is not going to respond at this time," Rieden said.
"The issue is now in the hands of the Charity Commission and it is no doubt considered prudent to await the commission's findings before commenting further.
"That said, there have been a number of sources close to Prince Harry and the trustees commenting to media, including myself, all of whom I imagine have Prince Harry's consent to comment."
What happens next?
"It is difficult to gauge," Rieden said.
"For Princes Harry and Seeiso I am sure this is not over.
"If the Charity Commission finds that Dr Sophie Chandauku should have accepted the decision of her board and stepped down, then I am certain the princes will return to the charity."
The ABC has contacted Sentebale for further comment.
The Charity Commission told syndicated news agency AFP it was "aware of concerns about the governance of Sentebale".
"We are assessing the issues to determine the appropriate regulatory steps," it said.
"The accusations are damning and even if they prove to be unfounded, there will be collateral damage to Prince Harry and the charity," Rieden said.
Racism allegations, royalty and the 'Sussex machine'
This will likely not be the last we hear about the story.
"This is a huge story in Britain firstly because it is about a charity that has been so much a part of Prince Harry's personal evolution," Rieden said.
"When he first went to Lesotho, he was a confused young man looking for direction.
"The charity he founded two years later in his mother's name became part of his identity moving forward.
"When he quit the UK and moved his family to California, he retained Sentebale and the Invictus Games — both important projects to him and both projects that you could imagine would flourish with his new US connections.
"So to now feel compelled to walk away from Sentebale is devastating for Harry and of great interest to the British public, who watched this boy grow up in front of their eyes.
"For the media, there is also a bigger story here about what Dr Chandauku called "the Sussex machine" which has faced bullying accusations in the past.
"For Harry to be accused of racism also when he and Meghan have continually branded the British media racist is another awkward element to this boardroom row.
"Finally, there is the wider issue of the royal family and the empire as was.
"The optics of this charity helping vulnerable children in southern Africa, even if unfair and misplaced, cannot be ignored as Britain's colonial past is reassessed in a post Black Lives Matter context."
