The Charity Commission has criticised Prince Harry for allowing a dispute with the chair of his African children's charity, Sentebale, to 'play out publicly', while clearing him of racism allegations.
The watchdog's compliance report, published on Tuesday, found that all parties involved—including the prince, trustees, and chair Dr Sophie Chandauka—contributed to a breakdown in governance that damaged the charity's reputation. The commission said the then trustees' failure to resolve disputes internally had 'severely impacted the charity's reputation and risked undermining public trust in charities more generally'.
Prince Harry and co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho resigned as patrons in March, followed by the board of trustees, after a dispute with Chandauka, a lawyer appointed in 2023. Chandauka had alleged bullying, harassment, misogyny, and misogynoir, but the commission found no evidence of widespread or systemic misconduct.
The regulator issued Sentebale a Regulatory Action Plan to address governance gaps and mismanagement. David Holdsworth, chief executive of the Charity Commission, said the case 'highlights what can happen when there are gaps in governance and policies critical to charities’ ability to deliver for their cause'.
A spokesperson for Prince Harry criticised the commission's report as 'falling troublingly short', noting it made no findings of wrongdoing against him but failed to address the impact on beneficiaries. Sentebale's chair, Dr Chandauka, said an 'adverse media campaign' by those who resigned had caused 'incalculable damage'.
