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The chairman of Prince Harry’s African charity has claimed that the “toxicity” of his brand was the biggest threat to its future.

Sophie Chandauka, who is at the centre of an extraordinary row at the heart of Sentebale, claimed she had been asked by the Prince’s team to defend Meghan, his wife, in the face of negative coverage.

“I said no, we’re not setting a precedent by which we become an extension of the Sussex PR machine,” she told the Financial Times.

Ms Chandauka alleged that the adverse public sentiment surrounding the Duke after the release of Harry & Meghan, the Netflix documentary, in 2022 and Spare, his memoir, in 2023, affected the charity’s ability to attract new donors and recruit senior staff.

“When you start to interview people, they’re asking questions about, well, these mixed messages around the patron,” she said.
“The number one risk for this organisation was the toxicity of its lead patron’s brand.”

She claimed that Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, his co-founder, wanted “to force a failure and then come to the rescue”.
was speaking publicly for the first time since Sentebale was plunged into chaos with the resignations of its founding patrons as well as the entire board.

Prince Harry revealed on Tuesday that he was “truly heartbroken” about quitting. He founded the charity in 2006 to help young people affected by Aids in southern Africa, in memory of his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.

In a joint statement, the princes said they were “devastated” at the “unthinkable” breakdown in relations with Ms Chandauka, which culminated in a High Court claim as the board tried to eject her from her position.

The Duke said he had stepped down in solidarity with the board, who quit in an attempt to save the charity from a mammoth legal bill they feared could lead to its collapse.
In response, Ms Chandauka issued a statement that appeared to accuse Prince Harry and the board of using Sentebale as a “vanity project”, “playing the victim card” and even suggesting a cover-up.

She said hers was the “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.”
having been a trustee on the board from 2009-2015.

Her appointment coincided with a notable public backlash against the Sussexes, who were increasingly criticised for airing their grievances about the Royal family in high-profile interviews.

In April 2024, the couple attended an annual Sentable charity polo match in Miami, where the Duke captained the winning team.
As the players and their partners gathered on the podium for a post-match photograph, Meghan appeared to ask Ms Chandauka to move away from Harry as he celebrated his win.
The Duchess was filmed instructing Ms Chandauka, who stood on Harry’s right, to move to the left, away from her husband, as he kept his arm tightly around the Duchess.

When Ms Chandauka took over as chairman, Sentebale was said to be in a stable financial position.

However, a breakdown in relations with a key sponsor of the annual Sentebale polo cup, triggered the start of a series of problems, it has been claimed.

Sources close to the charity confirmed that Ms Chandauka spent some $500,000 (£386,000) on consultants as she sought to turn its fortunes around. While some have claimed that the expenditure frustrated the trustees, Sentebale insisted that the board signed it off.

Ms Chandauka insisted that she had tried to widen the charity’s remit to include climate resilience and wealth inequality, while shifting its governance from London to southern Africa.

In December, London-based chief executive Richard Miller, who had been in the position for five years, was replaced with Carmel Gaillard, in Johannesburg.

Ms Chandauka said: “The way the organisation had been set up in 2006, was no longer appropriate in 2023 in a post-Black Lives Matter world. Funders were asking for locally-led initiatives.”

She alleged that the shift towards southern Africa caused friction between the charity’s UK-based staff and those in Botswana and Lesotho, where most of its 500-plus workforce are based.

The board felt “a loss of power and control and influence . . . oh my goodness, the Africans are taking over”, she claimed.

In February, the board tried to get Ms Chandauka to resign.
But in response, she filed a report to the Charity Commission, writing in her complaint, seen by the FT: “I view the request for my resignation as being a direct response to my raising significant concerns regarding the charity’s current governance, management and administration.”

On March 5, Ms Chandauka lodged a legal claim at the High Court in an attempt to block the vote to remove her.

“They thought I wouldn’t have the audacity to proceed with a court action,” she said.

Mass resignations
A series of new appointments have been made in the wake of the mass resignations.

The newly formed board includes Iain Rawlinson, a financier who was previously chair of Tusk Trust, Prince William’s conservation charity, and who has been advising Ms Chandauka.

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Chairman of Prince Harry’s African charity lashes out at Sussexes
Sophie Chandauka claims the toxicity of the couple’s brand is the biggest threat to Sentebale’s future

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Prince Harry and Sophie Chandauka hold microphones as the speak on a stage
Prince Harry and Sophie Chandauka, who claimed Sentebale was being used as an extension of the Sussex PR machine Credit: Jason Koerner/Getty
Victoria Ward
Deputy Royal Editor
29 March 2025 10:27am GMT
Victoria Ward

The chairman of Prince Harry’s African charity has claimed that the “toxicity” of his brand was the biggest threat to its future.

Sophie Chandauka, who is at the centre of an extraordinary row at the heart of Sentebale, claimed she had been asked by the Prince’s team to defend Meghan, his wife, in the face of negative coverage.

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“I said no, we’re not setting a precedent by which we become an extension of the Sussex PR machine,” she told the Financial Times.

Ms Chandauka alleged that the adverse public sentiment surrounding the Duke after the release of Harry & Meghan, the Netflix documentary, in 2022 and Spare, his memoir, in 2023, affected the charity’s ability to attract new donors and recruit senior staff.

“When you start to interview people, they’re asking questions about, well, these mixed messages around the patron,” she said.

“The number one risk for this organisation was the toxicity of its lead patron’s brand.”

She claimed that Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, his co-founder, wanted “to force a failure and then come to the rescue”.

Ms Chandauka, a Zimbabwe-born lawyer, was speaking publicly for the first time since Sentebale was plunged into chaos with the resignations of its founding patrons as well as the entire board.

Harry and Meghan
Harry and Meghan take part in a joint meditation in their Netflix documentary Credit: Netflix
Prince Harry revealed on Tuesday that he was “truly heartbroken” about quitting. He founded the charity in 2006 to help young people affected by Aids in southern Africa, in memory of his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.

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In a joint statement, the princes said they were “devastated” at the “unthinkable” breakdown in relations with Ms Chandauka, which culminated in a High Court claim as the board tried to eject her from her position.

The Duke said he had stepped down in solidarity with the board, who quit in an attempt to save the charity from a mammoth legal bill they feared could lead to its collapse.

‘A vanity project’
In response, Ms Chandauka issued a statement that appeared to accuse Prince Harry and the board of using Sentebale as a “vanity project”, “playing the victim card” and even suggesting a cover-up.

She said hers was the “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.”

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Ms Chandauka was hired by the charity in mid-2023, having been a trustee on the board from 2009-2015.

Her appointment coincided with a notable public backlash against the Sussexes, who were increasingly criticised for airing their grievances about the Royal family in high-profile interviews.

In April 2024, the couple attended an annual Sentable charity polo match in Miami, where the Duke captained the winning team.

As the players and their partners gathered on the podium for a post-match photograph, Meghan appeared to ask Ms Chandauka to move away from Harry as he celebrated his win.

The Duchess was filmed instructing Ms Chandauka, who stood on Harry’s right, to move to the left, away from her husband, as he kept his arm tightly around the Duchess.

Prince Harry and Meghan at the Royal Salute Polo match
Prince Harry and Meghan at the Royal Salute Polo match benefiting Sentebale Credit: Jason Koerner/Getty
When Ms Chandauka took over as chairman, Sentebale was said to be in a stable financial position.

However, a breakdown in relations with a key sponsor of the annual Sentebale polo cup, triggered the start of a series of problems, it has been claimed.

Advertisement

Sources close to the charity confirmed that Ms Chandauka spent some $500,000 (£386,000) on consultants as she sought to turn its fortunes around. While some have claimed that the expenditure frustrated the trustees, Sentebale insisted that the board signed it off.

Ms Chandauka insisted that she had tried to widen the charity’s remit to include climate resilience and wealth inequality, while shifting its governance from London to southern Africa.

In December, London-based chief executive Richard Miller, who had been in the position for five years, was replaced with Carmel Gaillard, in Johannesburg.

Ms Chandauka said: “The way the organisation had been set up in 2006, was no longer appropriate in 2023 in a post-Black Lives Matter world. Funders were asking for locally-led initiatives.”

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She alleged that the shift towards southern Africa caused friction between the charity’s UK-based staff and those in Botswana and Lesotho, where most of its 500-plus workforce are based.

The board felt “a loss of power and control and influence . . . oh my goodness, the Africans are taking over”, she claimed.

In February, the board tried to get Ms Chandauka to resign.

Herd boys in Lesotho
Herd boys in Lesotho pose for a photograph in 2013. Dr Chandauka said the shift towards governance in Africa caused friction between staff Credit: Chris Jackson/Getty Images
But in response, she filed a report to the Charity Commission, writing in her complaint, seen by the FT: “I view the request for my resignation as being a direct response to my raising significant concerns regarding the charity’s current governance, management and administration.”

On March 5, Ms Chandauka lodged a legal claim at the High Court in an attempt to block the vote to remove her.

“They thought I wouldn’t have the audacity to proceed with a court action,” she said.

Mass resignations
A series of new appointments have been made in the wake of the mass resignations.

The newly formed board includes Iain Rawlinson, a financier who was previously chair of Tusk Trust, Prince William’s conservation charity, and who has been advising Ms Chandauka.

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He told the FT there had been a concerted effort by certain trustees “to destabilise and remove Sophie” from her position.

Sentebale’s most recent accounts reveal the charity has reserves of less than £1m and was exposed to a downturn in income from fundraising events.

Despite the Duke’s cash injection of $1.5 million (£1.2 million) from the profits of Spare, more money was spent than received and the board acknowledged they needed to be less reliant on income from international events such as high-profile polo tournaments in Japan and Singapore.

Sentebale’s total income in August 2023 was £3.4 million, down from £4.5 million a year earlier.

A Charity Commission spokesperson said: “We can confirm that we are aware of concerns about the governance of Sentebale. We are assessing the issues to determine the appropriate regulatory steps.

But in a message to Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso, she said: “The team is resolved that Sentebele will live on, with or without you.”