Prince Harry issued a strongly worded statement after he was cleared of bullying allegations. The Charity Commission for England and Wales concluded that there is no evidence of ‘widespread or systemic bullying, harassment, misogyny, or misogyny’ at the African charity Sentebale following an investigation. They also found no ‘overreach’ by the charity’s current chair, Dr. Sophie Chandauka, or the British prince, 40.
Unsurprisingly, the Commission makes no findings of wrongdoing in relation to Sentebale’s Co-Founder and former Patron, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, a spokesperson for Harry told Fox News Digital. They also found no evidence of widespread bullying, harassment, or misogyny and misogynoir at the charity, as falsely claimed by the current Chair. Despite all that, their report falls troublingly short in many regards, primarily the fact that the consequences of the current Chair’s actions will not be borne by her — but by the children who rely on Sentebale’s support.
Fox News Digital reached out to Chandauka, who made the initial claims, for reaction. The Commission did criticize all sides for allowing the dispute ‘to play out publicly,’ citing poor internal governance and a ‘failure to resolve disputes internally [that] severely impacted the charity’s reputation and risked undermining public trust in charities more generally.’
A spokesperson for Sentebale told Fox News Digital in a statement that the organization accepted the findings of the investigation. They’re also determined to follow any recommendations made by the Commission. It provides Sentebale with some degree of reassurance that the Charity Commission has not identified widespread bullying within the charity, but the Commission has acknowledged the strong perception of ill treatment felt by a number of parties to the dispute and the impact this may have had on them personally.
The Charity Commission is explicitly clear, including in its public guidance, that it is not the Commission’s responsibility to adjudicate or mediate internal disputes. This would include individual allegations of bullying, harassment, misogyny, misogynoir, etc. As a result, the Commission has not investigated any individual allegations and therefore has not made any findings in relation to individuals, including Prince Harry. The issues not investigated by the Commission can and may be dealt with through avenues more appropriate than the Commission.
A source told People magazine that both Prince Harry and the charity’s cofounder, Prince Sees, don’t see a way back to Sentebale as long as Chanduka is in place. Both Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso are devastated by what has effectively been a hostile takeover by Sophie Chandauka, a source close to the former trustees and patrons told the outlet. This was Prince Seeiso and Prince Harry’s life work. They established it 19 years ago and in that time put in blood, sweat and tears and their own money into building this charity up to what it was: a multi-million-pound charity that delivered nothing but good for the beneficiary community that is supported in Lesotho and Botswana.
In a statement, Chandauka said, ‘I appreciate the Charity Commission for its conclusions, which confirm the governance concerns I raised privately in February 2025. The experience was intense, and it became a test of our strategic clarity and operational resilience.’ She thanked every dedicated colleague and the courageous new Board members who have stayed focused on the mission in the face of unprecedented media glare. The unexpected adverse media campaign that was launched by those who resigned on 24 March 2025 has caused incalculable damage and offers a glimpse of the unacceptable behaviors displayed in private. We are emerging not just grateful to have survived, but stronger: more focused, better governed, boldly ambitious and with our dignity intact.
Despite the recent turbulence, we will always be inspired by the vision of our Founders, Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso, who established Sentebale in memory of their precious mothers, Princess Diana and Queen Mamohato, she continued. To all who believe in our mission: please walk with us as Sentebale recovers, renews, and rises to meet the hopes and expectations of the next generation.
A source close to the former trustees told People they found it ‘appalling’ that Chandauka invoked the names of the founders and their late mothers in her statement ‘for her own good.’
The Duke of Sussex co-founded the charity with Seeiso, whose mother died in 2003, after visiting Lesotho during his gap year in 2004. Sentebale was created to help people in Lesotho and Botswana living in poverty and those suffering from HIV and AIDS.
In a separate statement sent to People, former trustees said that there were key issues raised about the charity’s leadership that they felt had been overlooked. ‘We are disheartened by the way in which the Charity Commission has chosen to ignore key concerns and irrefutable evidence raised with them regarding the leadership and oversight of Sentebale’s Chair,’ the statement read. ‘We accept there is always room to strengthen governance of an organization, which is why we welcomed a governance review by the Chair initiated in February 2024, and that should have only taken a matter of months — we unfortunately never saw a report or any outcomes enacted, more than two years into her tenure.’
We remain gravely concerned for the future of the charity and the well-being of the communities we served for 19 years, following the mission set out by Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso in honour of their mothers, the statement concluded.
In March, the princes and fellow trustees resigned from their roles as patrons of the organization until further notice, in support of and solidarity with the board of trustees who had to do the same. Nearly 20 years ago, we founded Sentebale in honor of our mothers. Sentebale means ‘forget-me-not’ in Sesotho, the local language of Lesotho, and it’s what we’ve always promised for the young people we’ve served through this charity. Today is no different. With heavy hearts, we have resigned from our roles as patrons of the organization until further notice, in support of and solidarity with the board of trustees who have had to do the same. 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, read the statement.