Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso made headlines on Tuesday when they announced their departure from Sentebale, the African charity they co-founded. The move comes amid a heated dispute that has now been linked to Meghan Markle, according to the charity’s chair, Nichola Pease Chandauka.
In a revealing interview with the Financial Times, Chandauka, who has been at the helm of Sentebale since 2023, pointed to tensions that began in April 2024. She claims the trouble started when she refused a request to publicly support Meghan Markle, a decision that sparked a growing rift with Prince Harry. Chandauka didn’t mince words, describing the “toxicity” surrounding the Duke of Sussex’s brand as the organization’s biggest challenge.
The fallout reached a breaking point this week when Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso stepped down from their roles as royal patrons. Their exit followed a failed attempt by Sentebale’s trustees to oust Chandauka as chair, a move that led to the resignation of all five trustees and prompted the UK Charity Commission to launch an inquiry into the charity’s governance.
Chandauka has made serious allegations about her time as chair, claiming she faced “disrespect, bullying, and intimidation”—accusations that have been firmly denied. She insists the conflict kicked off when she declined to let Sentebale be used as a platform to bolster Meghan’s public image. “I said no. We cannot turn this charity into an extension of the Sussex PR machine,” she stated firmly.
The dispute took a legal turn in March when Chandauka sought an injunction from the UK High Court to block a vote on her removal as chair. She argued that Prince Harry’s polarizing reputation since moving to the U.S.—fueled by controversies from his Netflix series and memoir—has made it harder for Sentebale to secure funding and attract senior leadership, further complicating the charity’s mission.
