Prince Harry accused of 'harassment and bullying at scale' by Sentebale chair Sophie Chandauka
29 March 2025, 16:48 | Updated: 30 March 2025, 07:59
The chair of the 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 [PR] machine".
Sentebale chair Dr Sophie Chandauka told Sky's Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips: "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.
"And can you imagine what that attack has done for me, on me and the 540 individuals in the Sentebale organisations and their family?
"That is an example of harassment and bullying at scale."
Sky News contacted the Duke and Duchess of Sussex about the contents of the interview and they declined to offer any formal response.
A source close to the former trustees of the Sentebale charity has described as "completely baseless" Dr Chandauka's claims that she was bullied and harassed, briefed against by Prince Harry, or that the Sussex machine was unleashed on her.
A source said the ex-trustees "fully expected this publicity stunt and reached their collective decision with this in mind. They remain firm in their resignation, for the good of the charity, and look forward to the adjudication of the truth".
On Tuesday, Prince Harry quit as patron of the charity, which he set up in honour of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.
At the time, he released a joint statement with co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, saying they had been forced to step down "in support of and solidarity with" the board of trustees who had also resigned, following their disagreements with the chairwoman.
They wrote that the relationship "broke down beyond repair, creating an untenable situation".
The problems reportedly stem from a decision to focus fundraising in Africa.
In a statement earlier this week, seemingly targeted at Prince Harry, Dr 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."
On Wednesday, a former trustee of Sentebale, Dr Kelello Lerotholi, told Sky's royal correspondent Rhiannon Mills he did not recognise any of the allegations.
Dr Lerotholi said he had never witnessed these issues and that the claims "came to me as a surprise".
Read more:
Prince Harry 'in shock' as he quits Sentebale charity
Charity misconduct claims 'a surprise', says Sentebale trustee
"I can honestly say, in the meetings I was present in, there was never even a hint of such," he said.
"The general tone and conduct of the board has been one of respect for each other, accommodating each other's opinions and inputs, and speaking with respect to each other.
"So this all came as a shock to me."
Sentebale was established in 2006 to help children and young people in southern Africa, particularly those with HIV and AIDS.
Prince Harry was inspired to start the charity after spending two months in Lesotho, when he was on a gap year in 2004.
He was in the small African country - which has one of the world's highest rates of HIV and AIDS - as recently as last October.
You can watch Trevor Phillips' full interview with Dr Sophie Chandauka on Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips from 8.30am.
(c) Sky News 2025: Prince Harry accused of 'harassment and bullying at scale' by Sentebale chair Sophie Chandauka
