Prince Harry cleared of ‘bullying’ in African charity row

LONDON – The UK’s charity watchdog on Aug 6 cleared Britain’s Prince Harry bullying accusations in a dispute with an African charity he founded, but deplored that the bitter internal row was played out in public.

The charity Sentebale was at the centre of an explosive boardroom dispute in March and April when its chairwoman Sophie Chandauka publicly accused the Prince, the youngest son of King Charles III, of “bullying”.

Days earlier, Prince Harry and co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho had announced that they were resigning from the charity they established in 2006, after the trustees quit when Ms Chandauka refused their demand to step down.

Prince Harry – also known as the Duke of Sussex – launched the charity in honour of his mother, Princess Diana, to help young people with HIV and Aids in Lesotho and later Botswana.

After a months-long inquiry, the Charity Commission “found no evidence of widespread or systemic bullying or harassment, including misogyny or misogynoir at the charity”, it said in its conclusions published on Aug 6.

But it “criticised all parties to the dispute for allowing it to play out publicly”, saying the “damaging internal dispute” had “severely impacted the charity’s reputation”.

It found there was “a lack of clarity in delegations” and this led to “mismanagement in the administration of the charity”.

It has issued the charity with a plan to “address governance weaknesses”.

In a statement, Sentebale said it “welcomes” the findings.

Ms Chandauka, who was appointed to the voluntary post in 2023 and remains the charity’s chair, said she “appreciated” the conclusions, adding that they “confirm the governance concerns I raised privately in February 2025”.

She did not address the fact that claims of systemic bullying were dismissed.

‘Heartbreaking’

Prince Harry said in an April statement that the events had “been heartbreaking to witness, especially when such blatant lies hurt those who have invested decades in this shared goal”.

Speaking to British media after accusing the Prince of trying to force her out, Ms Chandauka criticised his decision to bring a Netflix camera crew to a polo fund-raiser in 2024, and an unplanned appearance by his wife Meghan at the event.

The accusations were a fresh blow for the Prince, who kept up only a handful of his private patronages – including with Sentebale – after a dramatic split with the British royal family in 2020, leaving Britain to live in North America with his wife and children.

“Moving forward, I urge all parties not to lose sight of those who rely on the charity’s services,” said Mr David Holdsworth, the commission’s chief executive, adding that improvements should now be made.

Prince Harry chose the name Sentebale as a tribute to his mother, who died in a Paris car crash in 1997 when the Prince was 12.

It means “forget-me-not” in the Sesotho language and is also used to say goodbye.

In her statement, Ms Chandauka said: “Despite the recent turbulence, we will always be inspired by the vision of our founders, Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso.” AFP