'Devastated' Prince Harry issues statement over Sentebale charity 'bullying' row
The Charity Commission criticised all parties for their handling of the situation
The Charity Commission has found “no evidence of widespread or systemic bullying or harassment, including misogyny or misogynoir” at Sentebale, the charity founded by Prince Harry.
The charity regulator’s investigation followed allegations stemming from a boardroom dispute, which led to Prince Harry and several trustees resigning earlier this year. It hasn’t imposed any sanctions, and Sophie Chandauka will remain as chair of the charity.
However, the commission criticised “all parties” after the dispute played out in public. It also gave the charity an action plan to help manage “governance weaknesses”.
Prince Harry hoped for the truth to be ‘unveiled’ in Sentebale charity row
The dispute between trustees and Chandauka reportedly arose regarding a decision about fundraising.
The board asked Chandauka to resign as chair, and when she refused, the other trustees resigned in protest. This led to Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, who founded the charity in 2006, resigning as patrons.
Chandauka reported the trustees to the Charity Commission. She also accused Harry of a “toxic” brand. She said she had “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”.
For his part, Harry said earlier this year that he hoped the commission would “unveil the truth”.
He added: “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.”
Harry’s team has welcomed the investigation findings. However, a spokesperson said that the report “falls troublingly short”.
Harry and Seeiso met during the former’s gap year in Lesotho. The experience made him want to help vulnerable children and young people in the country, which is surrounded by South Africa.
The name Sentebale means “forget-me-not” in Sesotho. It was chosen “as a memorial to the charity work of our own mothers, as well as a reminder to us all not to forget Lesotho or its children”.
Prince Harry’s statement on charity row findings
Both Harry and Seeiso’s mothers died in the decade before the charity began. Princess Diana died from injuries sustained in a car crash in 1997, aged 36, while ‘Mamohato, former Regent Head of State of Lesotho, died aged 62 of heart failure in 2003. Both Diana and ‘Mamohato became passionate about their charity work.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Harry said of the Charity Commission’s findings: “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 has been a deeply personal and transformative mission for Prince Harry, established to serve some of the most vulnerable children in Lesotho and Botswana.
“For 19 years, its dedicated staff and steadfast supporters have provided vital care to over 100,000 young people across southern Africa, including young people living with HIV/AIDS and those facing mental health challenges.”
They added that Harry “will now focus on finding new ways to continue supporting the children of Lesotho and Botswana”.
Chandauka said in part of her statement: “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.”
Prince will be ‘devastated’ over charity row fallout
On his YouTube channel, royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams described the events as a “tragedy”.
Richard said Harry may feel “devastated” over not returning to the charity.
“Sentebale was a charity that, over the years, has done an enormous amount of good. 100,000 children helped, which is what his spokesperson claims, is an impressive record,” he added. “But there’s also no doubt that the dispute regarding future fundraising linking, according to the charity commission, with the United States, and how this was to be handled, was at the heart of very, very deep personal, pretty toxic, relations.
“There’s no doubt that the charity does not seem to have been well managed in the past. And, Prince Harry and the other trustees won’t be coming back. So, it’s likely to be pretty devastating for him.
“But it also does shine the spotlight – tragically, because it’s a charity that does good – on the way that, in this case, he seems to have been at least partly responsible for bad governments.”
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