Sophie Chandauca, the former head of Sentebale, a charity founded by Prince Harry, has publicly accused him of “massive harassment and bullying”. According to her, they had serious consequences both for her personally and for the hundreds of employees and families associated with the organization’s activities. About this reported Sky News.
Chandauka said the Duke of Sussex “allowed damaging news to be released to the outside world without informing” her and other chief executives of the organisation. She said it was a shock to her personally and to about 540 people who worked for or were associated with Sentebale.
“Can you imagine what this attack has done to me, to me and to the 540 people in the Sentebale organizations and their families? This is an example of massive harassment and abuse.” – Chandauka said.
Sky News reporters contacted the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for comment, but they refused to respond to the allegations. In response, a source close to the organization’s former trustees called Chandauka’s words “absolutely baseless.”
The Sentebale organization was founded in 2006 by Prince Harry together with Prince Seiso of Lesotho. It aims to help children and youth in South Africa affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The name “Sentebale” in Sesotho means “not to forget” – a symbol of memory for the late Princess Diana, Harry’s mother.
As the BBC reports, a number of trustees have left their positions, citing the impossibility of continuing cooperation with Chandauka. However, she herself stated that the situation was the opposite: it was the toxicity associated with the main patron of the organization – Prince Harry – that forced her to resign. She also stressed that she tried to fulfill her duties in good faith, but felt a strain in her relationship with the duke a year before her dismissal.
In an interview with the Financial Times, she said that after Prince Harry moved to the United States, the pressure on the organization increased, especially in the context of his personal image in the media. In particular, she said, the Duke’s team asked Sentebale to publicly defend Meghan Markle from negative publicity. Chandauka refused, explaining that the organization should not become part of a PR campaign.
“I said we wouldn’t set the precedent that Sentebale would become a tool of the Sussex communication machine.” she declared.
These public accusations were a new blow to the reputation of Prince Harry, who is not the first time criticized for his personal involvement in charitable initiatives and management style. Amid the firings and litigation in the US, the Sentebale story could have both reputational and legal implications for the royal family.
