The Duke of Sussex announced his resignation as patron of Sentebale, a British charity based in Lesotho that co-founded him after a series between the trustee and the chairman of the board.
Prince Harry said he resigned along with Prince Seeiso, co-founder and patron of the Sentebale board, following the relationship between the chairman, Sophie Chandauka and the trustee.
Dr Chandauka has reported to the British Charity Council. She said she “whistles” about “abuse of power” and “harassment” and said her job was “pursuing the integrity of the organization.”
The charity committee said this was “aware of concerns about the governance of sentinels” and was studying them.
Sentebale was founded in 2006 by Harry Prince and Seeiso Prince, focusing on addressing the impact of HIV and AIDS on young people in African countries in Lesotho and southern Botswana.
“Filled with a heavy heart, we quit the role of the organization’s customers until further notice to support and solidarity with the board, which they must do.
“It is devastating that the relationship between the trustees of the charity and the chairman of the board cannot be repaired, which creates an untenable situation.
“These trustees act in the best interest of the charity while demanding the chairman’s resignation while keeping the employee’s well-being in mind. She in turn sued the charity for maintaining this voluntary status, further highlighting the broken relationship.”
They added that they will share all our concerns with the charity committee about all the concerns that arise.”
Former trustees Timothy Boucher, Mark Dyer, Audrey Kgosidintsi, Dr. Kelello Lerotholi and Dr. Damian West described their decision as “destructive to all.”
They said they lost trust and confidence in the chairman, but her legal actions mean that they had resigned in the “best interest of the charity” because it could not bear the “legal and financial burden.”
“It’s not a choice that we’re willing to make, it’s something we’re forced to take care of charities,” they said.
Dr Chandauka said her work in Stenebale is “guided by fair and fair treatment by all, regardless of social status or financial means”.
She added: “There are people in this world who act like they are above the law and abuse and then play victim cards and use their dismissive media to hurt those who have the courage to challenge their behavior.”
She said it was a story of a woman who dared to whistle the poor governance, weak executive management, abuse of power, bullying, harassment, disgust, misogyny and the consequent cover-up whistle.”
The charity itself said it “has not resigned from any royal customer yet”, but did confirm its board of directors’ “reorganization” on Tuesday to attract more experts to “accelerate Sentebale’s transformation agenda through capabilities and networks.”
It said it announced plans last April to transform from a development organization to address the impact of HIV and AIDS on children and young people in Lesotho and Botswana to “solving the health, wealth and climate resilience of youth in southern Africa”.
“The board’s recalibration is therefore part of Sentebale’s ambitious transformation agenda,” the charity added.
The charity committee said it was “aware” about Sentebale’s governance, adding: “We are evaluating the issue of identifying appropriate regulatory steps.”
