Chair of charity Harry quit calls prince's brand 'toxic'

Sentebale, the charity co-founded by Prince Harry, has been recently plagued by controversies. The organization's chair, Dr. Sophie Chandauka, publicly accused Prince Harry's personal brand of being "toxic," claiming it hindered the charity's development. Previously, Dr. Chandauka and several other individuals had resigned from the organization earlier this week.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Dr. Chandauka stated that the strained relationship between her and Prince Harry began a year ago. She also revealed to Sky News that Prince Harry's handling of her departure from the charity constituted "massive harassment and bullying." Sentebale was founded in 2006 in memory of Princess Diana, aiming to help people living with HIV in Southern Africa.

A source close to the former trustees and patrons said they "fully anticipated this PR stunt." The source added, "In the best interests of the charity, they remain steadfast in their resignations and look forward to a judgment of the truth." BBC News has contacted Sentebale for comment.

Prince Harry stated that he and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho withdrew from the organization because the relationship between the charity's trustees and Dr. Chandauka had "broken down irreparably." However, Dr. Chandauka strongly defended her record as chair, adding, "The number one risk facing this organization is the toxicity of its principal patron's brand." She also accused Prince Harry of wanting to "engineer a failure and then come to the rescue."

Dr. Chandauka claimed that the various controversies sparked by Prince Harry's move to the United States have affected the charity's ability to diversify its donor base and recruit personnel. She stated that Prince Harry's team also requested her to defend his wife, Meghan, in response to negative publicity, but she refused. Dr. Chandauka further revealed that Prince Harry authorized the release of a damaging news story to the outside world without notifying her, her country director, or the executive director, which constituted "massive harassment and bullying."

Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso said in a joint statement that they resigned with "heavy hearts" and "in unity with the board." "The relationship between the charity's trustees and the chair of the board has broken down irreparably, creating an untenable situation, which is frustrating," they said. They added that the trustees "acted in the best interests of the charity" by asking Dr. Chandauka to resign, but her decision to take legal action to retain her position "further underscored this broken relationship." They also stated that they would share their concerns about "how things have reached this point" with the Charity Commission.

Dr. Chandauka stated that she has "reported" issues including what she described as abuse of power, bullying, sexism, and racism. She said that her work at Sentebale was "guided by the principles of treating everyone fairly and equitably," and that she has reported the trustees to the UK Charity Commission. The charity itself has confirmed a "restructuring" of its board.

Former trustees Timothy Boucher, Mark Dyer, Audrey Kosi, Dr. Ketelelo Lerohoili, and Damien West described their decision as "extremely upsetting" for all of them. They stated that they had lost trust and confidence in the chair, but her taking legal action to prevent them from removing her meant they had no choice but to resign. The Charity Commission said it is "aware of concerns about the governance of Sentebale," adding, "We are assessing the issues to determine appropriate regulatory action."