The chairperson of an African charity co-founded by Prince Harry has accused the royal of orchestrating a bullying and harassment campaign against her.
Sophie Chandauka, the Sentebale chair, made several allegations against Harry on Sky News. She described how the prince’s Netflix deal interfered with a scheduled fundraiser and how an incident with his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, caused friction.
The Duke of Sussex cited a breakdown in the relationship between board members and Chandauka when he resigned as a patron of the charity he co-founded in memory of his late mother, Princess Diana.
Harry and co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho resigned as patrons of the charity in support of the trustees who were at odds with Chandauka.
“It is devastating that the relationship between the charity’s trustees and the chair of the board broke down beyond repair, creating an untenable situation,” the princes said.
Chandauka has filed a complaint with the Charity Commission in the U.K. and taken legal action against the charity to prevent her removal.
She alleged there was misconduct at the charity without naming anyone or offering any details. It said she had tried to blow the whistle on “abuse of power, bullying, harassment, misogyny and misogynoir.
Chandauka told Sky that Harry’s resignation had caught her off guard and was “an example of harassment and bullying at scale.” She also said he had interfered with her whistleblower complaint.
She stated that there was a significant drop in donors after Harry and Meghan left their royal duties and settled in California.
The charity was founded to help youths affected by AIDS in Lesotho and Botswana but is now expanding to address youth health, wealth and climate resilience in southern Africa.
The biggest risk to the charity was the “toxicity of its lead patron’s brand,” Chandauka told the Financial Times.
In the Sky interview, she said that a polo fundraiser scheduled in Miami last year almost fell apart when Harry asked to bring a camera crew along that was filming him for a Netflix series on the sport.
The cost of the venue skyrocketed when it became a commercial venture and they scrambled to find another host, which Harry arranged through his connections, she said.
Meghan’s surprise appearance at the event led to an awkward moment during the trophy presentation after the match, Chandauka said.
In a video clip circulated on social media, Chandauka tried to pose next to the duke as he held the trophy in one hand and had his other wrapped around Meghan. But the duchess appeared to gesture that Chandauka move farther from Harry, forcing her to duck under the silver cup to get into the photo.
“The international press captured this, and there was a lot of talk about the duchess and the choreography on stage and whether she should have been there and her treatment of me,” said Chandauka.
She said she rejected Harry’s request that she issue a statement in support of Meghan, because “we cannot be an extension of the Sussexes.”
Sky News said it contacted Harry and Meghan and they declined to offer a formal response. An emailed request by The Associated Press seeking comment from their spokespeople was not immediately returned.
Sophie Chandauka, the Sentebale chair, made several allegations against Harry on Sky News. She described how the prince’s Netflix deal interfered with a scheduled fundraiser and how an incident with his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, caused friction.
The Duke of Sussex cited a breakdown in the relationship between board members and Chandauka when he resigned as a patron of the charity he co-founded in memory of his late mother, Princess Diana.
Harry and co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho resigned as patrons of the charity in support of the trustees who were at odds with Chandauka.
“It is devastating that the relationship between the charity’s trustees and the chair of the board broke down beyond repair, creating an untenable situation,” the princes said.
Chandauka has filed a complaint with the Charity Commission in the U.K. and taken legal action against the charity to prevent her removal.
She alleged there was misconduct at the charity without naming anyone or offering any details. It said she had tried to blow the whistle on “abuse of power, bullying, harassment, misogyny and misogynoir.
Chandauka told Sky that Harry’s resignation had caught her off guard and was “an example of harassment and bullying at scale.” She also said he had interfered with her whistleblower complaint.
She stated that there was a significant drop in donors after Harry and Meghan left their royal duties and settled in California.
The charity was founded to help youths affected by AIDS in Lesotho and Botswana but is now expanding to address youth health, wealth and climate resilience in southern Africa.
The biggest risk to the charity was the “toxicity of its lead patron’s brand,” Chandauka told the Financial Times.
In the Sky interview, she said that a polo fundraiser scheduled in Miami last year almost fell apart when Harry asked to bring a camera crew along that was filming him for a Netflix series on the sport.
The cost of the venue skyrocketed when it became a commercial venture and they scrambled to find another host, which Harry arranged through his connections, she said.
Meghan’s surprise appearance at the event led to an awkward moment during the trophy presentation after the match, Chandauka said.
In a video clip circulated on social media, Chandauka tried to pose next to the duke as he held the trophy in one hand and had his other wrapped around Meghan. But the duchess appeared to gesture that Chandauka move farther from Harry, forcing her to duck under the silver cup to get into the photo.
“The international press captured this, and there was a lot of talk about the duchess and the choreography on stage and whether she should have been there and her treatment of me,” said Chandauka.
She said she rejected Harry’s request that she issue a statement in support of Meghan, because “we cannot be an extension of the Sussexes.”
Sky News said it contacted Harry and Meghan and they declined to offer a formal response. An emailed request by The Associated Press seeking comment from their spokespeople was not immediately returned.