PRINCE Harry has made the “devastating” decision to resign from his charity after “unthinkable infighting” with the board chair, it is understood.

The Duke of Sussex, 40, set up African charity Sentebale in 2006 in memory of his mum, Princess Diana, along with pal Prince Seeiso of Lesotho.

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Harry attending a charity event at Hampton Court Palace in 2019Credit: Getty

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Prince Harry with co-founder Prince Seeiso of LesothoCredit: Getty

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Harry and Meghan at a charity polo match in Florida in 2024Credit: Reuters
In a statement seen by The Times, the pair have now revealed they are siding with the charity’s trustees after they unanimously resigned following a row with board chair Sophie Chandauka.

Speaking to The Sun, the Zimbawean lawyer, who was appointed last year, said she had acted with integrity as a “proud African” – despite facing “bullying, harassment, misogyny”.

She is understood to be suing the trustees over calls for her to stand down from the post.

In the Princes’ statement, which is yet to be publicly released, they said: “With heavy hearts, we have resigned from our roles as patrons of the organisation 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.”

They added: “What’s transpired is unthinkable. We are in shock that we have to do this, but we have a continued responsibility to Sentebale’s beneficiaries, so we will be sharing all of our concerns with the Charity Commission as to how this came about.”

The Charity Commission has confirmed that an investigation is underway into the charity, which was set up to support those living with HIV and Aids in Africa.

A spokesperson told The Sun: “We can confirm that we are aware of concerns about the governance of Sentebale.

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Prince Harry laughs as he hangs out with Lewis Capaldi at Sentebale charity event
However, it confirmed to The Sun that a “restructuring” of the board had taken place.

Harry, who has also undertaken charity work with Meghan as part of The Archwell Foundation, set up Sentebale after visiting Lesotho on his gap year in 2004.

It was on the trip that he met his future co-founder, Prince Seeiso, who had also lost his mum the year before.

In the statement, the pair said they had started the charity, which means “forget-me-not”, in honour of their mums.

They added that they had no choice but to support the trustees, who had acted in the best interest of the charity.

A statement provided to The Times by former trustees Timothy Boucher, Mark Dyer, Audrey Kgosidintsi, Kelello Lerotholi and Damian West stated that Chandauka’s lawsuit had been initiated to “block us from voting her out.”

Sophie Chandauka’s full statement

Sophie Chandauka MBE told The Sun: “I chose to join Sentebale first and foremost as a proud African who understands that, in the spirit of ubuntu: to whom much is given, much is expected.

“Everything I do at Sentebale is in pursuit of the integrity of the organisation, its mission, and the young people we serve.

“My actions are guided by the principles of fairness and equitable treatment for all, regardless of social status or financial means.

“There are people in this world who behave as though they are above the law and mistreat people, and then play the victim card and use the very press they disdain to harm people who have the courage to challenge their conduct.

“Discerning readers will ask themselves: why would the Chair of the Board report her own Trustees to the Charity Commission?

“Why would the High Court of England and Wales accept her application to hear the matter at all if the case had no merit?

“Well, because beneath all the victim narrative and fiction that has been syndicated to press is the story of a woman who dared to blow the whistle about issues of poor governance, weak executive management, abuse of power, bullying, harassment, misogyny, misogynoir – and the coverup that ensued.

“I could be anyone. I just happen to be an educated woman who understands that the law will guide and protect me. I will say nothing further on this matter at this time.

“I have one job. I must focus on fundraising for the very important work of the young people who inspire the incredible team at Sentebale who make sacrifices daily at a time when geopolitics is severely impacting funding for development work in Africa.

“For me, this is not a vanity project from which I can resign when I am called to account.

“I am an African who has had the privilege of a worldclass education and career. I will not be intimidated.

“I must stand for something. I stand for those other women who do not have the ways and means.

“I am indebted to those who have stood by me and picked up my urgent call for help so that we can continue the mission at Sentebale.

“I will continue to faithfully perform my role as Chair of the Board, and I look forward to the opportunity to work with others who are interested in issues of health, wealth and climate resilience for young people in Africa.”

A spokesperson for Sentebale said: “We are pleased to confirm the restructuring of our Board on 25 March 2025 to introduce experts with the capabilities and networks to accelerate Sentebale’s transformation agenda as announced last year.

“In April 2024, Sentebale signalled its evolution from a development organisation focused on addressing the impact of HIV/AIDS on the lives of children and young people in Lesotho and Botswana, to one that is addressing issues of youth health, wealth and climate resilience in Southern Africa.

“Our highly successful Return to Southern Africa (RTSA) campaign with prospective international funders in October 2024 demonstrated Sentebale’s potential in these domains.

“The RTSA was followed by the announcement of Carmel Gaillard as our Interim Executive Director based in Johannesburg in December 2024.

“This followed Sentebale’s confirmation of its strategy to redeploy senior roles to be proximate to most of the team and programmes in Southern Africa.

“The recalibration of the Board is, therefore, part of Sentebale’s ambitious transformation agenda.”

It is not the first time the Duke has faced controversy over his charity work, after the Archwell Foundation was accused of failing to submit records – and pay a bill last year.

A statement on their website read: “The Duke and Duchess would like to extend their deepest gratitude to all the event organizers, military officials and the whole Nigerian community for their tremendous hospitality and the first of many memorable trips.”

What is Sentebale?

Sentebale was set up to support those living in poverty, as well as those suffering from Aids and HIV, in Lesotho.

Prince Harry started the charity in honour of his mum, Princess Diana, who died in 1997.

He met his co-founder Prince Seeiso while on his gap year in 2004.

The word Sentebale means “forget-me-not” in Sesotho, the local language of Lesotho.

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The Princes during the opening of the Sentebale Mamohato childrens centre in Thaba Bosiu, LesothoCredit: PA