Prince Harry ‘disgusted’ at ‘appalling’ use of Princess Diana’s legacy in Sentebale row
Prince Harry set up the charity in 2006
Prince Harry is said to be unhappy with the mention of his late mother, Princess Diana, in the ongoing Sentebale scandal.
The Duke of Sussex set up the cause in 2006, alongside his friend Prince Seeiso of Lesotho.
The charity was primarily made to help youngsters in southern Africa suffering from HIV or Aids.
Earlier this year, the two princes quit following a dispute between the board of trustees and chairwoman Dr Sophie Chandauka. Now, the ongoing row has mentioned Harry’s mother, the late Princess of Wales.
Prince Harry ‘disgusted’ at mention of Princess Diana in Sentebale row
Dr Sophie Chandauka claimed there had been a culture of “bullying” within Sentebale. Since then, a probe by the Charity Commission found “no evidence of widespread or systemic bullying or harassment”.
However, they have criticised all involved for dirtying Sentebale’s reputation.
Harry has claimed the report “falls troublingly short”.
He stated that the findings were “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”.
Prince Harry is also said to be especially unhappy with Dr Chandauka’s mention of his late mother in her response to the report.
She said: “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.”
An alleged friend of Harry told the Daily Beast that Dr Chandauka was trying to “divert attention”.
A source ‘close’ to Harry speaks out
They went on to fume: “It is disgusting that Sophie Chandauka has invoked their mothers, Princess Diana and Queen ‘Mamohato, using their names and legacies against their sons. It is appalling.”
They added: “In the 19 years since Harry and Seeiso set up the charity, it has helped over 100,000 children. In the short time that Sophie Chandauka has been in charge, she has dragged the charity into the mud. She has tanked it. Now the Charity Commission has found her claims of racism and misogyny to be baseless. They are false.”
Prince Harry’s representatives have their say
In response to the circulating source quotes, a representative for Prince Harry told us: “While we don’t recognise the source of this quote, of course, the duke is upset by Ms Chandauka invoking the memory of his mother.”
The row first erupted in 2023. It was here that Sentebale’s trustees sought to introduce a new fundraising strategy.
Earlier this year, Harry and Seeiso stepped away from the organisation. Since then, trouble has ensued.
The co-founders described their decision to quit as “unthinkable” and said trustees had “acted in the best interest of the charity in asking the chair to step down”.
They went on to say that “in turn, she [Chandauka] sued the charity to remain in this voluntary position, further underscoring the broken relationship”.
Dr Chandauka’s claims about Prince Harry’s negative impact on Sentebale
Dr Chandauka later said she “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”.
She claimed the”toxicity” of his brand had impacted the charity.
She alleged that because of this, Sentebale had seen a drop in donors since Harry moved to the US.
According to reports, the regulator found no evidence of systemic bullying or harassment, including misogyny or misogynoir, at the charity.
However, the probe cannot investigate individual allegations of bullying.
What does Sentebale mean?
The name Sentebale means “forget-me-not” in the Sesotho language. The name was chosen to honour Harry and Seeiso’s late mothers, whilst supporting the young people of Lesotho and Botswana.
Forget-me-nots, also known as Scorpion grasses, are blue flowers that typically grow in the Northern Hemisphere.
Read more: ‘Devastated’ Prince Harry issues statement over Sentebale charity ‘bullying’ row
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