Prince Harry resigns from African charity he founded in mother Diana’s memory

Prince Harry, the Duke of Essex, and Lesotho’s Prince Seeiso have resigned as patrons of Sentebale, a charity they co-founded in Lesotho, due to internal disputes over fundraising strategies. Trustees resigned in protest against the chair, Dr Sophie Chandauka, who emphasized ‘fairness and integrity’ in her actions.

UK’s Prince Harry, the Duke of Essex, has resigned as patron of a charity he co-founded in Africa, due to “infighting” in the trust which runs it.
Harry established Sentebale with Lesotho’s Prince Seeiso in 2006. Seeiso, too, resigned as patron.
The duo will be away from the charity “until further notice.”
The princes said in a joint statement, “What’s transpired is unthinkable. We are in shock 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.”
A spokesperson for the Sente said it was yet to receive resignations from either royal patron.
Dispute over fundraising
According to reports, there was a dispute between Sentebale^{‘s trustees and the chair, Dr Sophie Chandauka, a Zimbabwean lawyer who was appointed in 2023. The disagreement stemmed from a decision to focus the charity’s fundraising in Africa.
The trustees, who resigned in protest against Chandauka, “acted in the best interest of the charity in asking the chair to step down,” princes Harry and Seeiso noted in their statement.
“We thank them for their service over the years and are truly heartbroken they’ve had to follow through with this act,” it read.
The trustees who quit are Timothy Boucher, Mark Dyer, Audrey Kgosidintsi, Kelello Lerotholi and Damian West. They released a joint statement announcing their unanimous decision and said they were “devastated.”
In response, Chanduka said “some people” thought “they are above the law.”
“Everything I do here 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,” she stated.
About Sentebale
Sentebale, which means “Forget me not”, was established by Harry in honour of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, after visiting the Lesotho during his gap year.
It was created to help people in Lesotho and Botswana living in poverty and those suffering from HIV and Aids.}