Prince Harry has been accused by the chairperson of an African charity co-founded by him, Sophie Chandauka, of orchestrating a bullying campaign to force her out. Chandauka, who is also the chair of Sentebale, made the allegations in an interview with Sky News on Sunday.
Chandauka claimed that Harry’s Netflix deal interfered with a scheduled fundraiser and that an incident involving his wife Meghan led to friction between them. She alleged that there was misconduct at the charity without naming anyone or offering details, but stated that she had tried to blow the whistle on “abuse of power, bullying, harassment, misogyny, and misogynoir”.
The allegations came after Harry resigned as a patron of Sentebale, citing a breakdown in the relationship between board members and Chandauka. However, Chandauka said she was blindsided by his resignation and that it was an example of harassment and bullying at scale.
Chandauka also alleged that Harry interfered with her whistleblower complaint, describing it as a “cover-up” involving the prince. She stated that there was a significant drop in donors after Harry and Meghan left official royal duties in January 2020.
The charity, which was founded by Harry to help youths affected by AIDS in Lesotho and Botswana, is now shifting its focus to addressing youth health, wealth, and climate resilience in southern Africa. Chandauka attributed the biggest risk to the charity’s success to “the toxicity of its lead patron’s brand”.
Chandauka shared a video clip that showed an awkward moment during a polo fundraiser, where Meghan appeared to gesture for her to move away from Harry, leading to friction between them. The incident has sparked debate about the treatment of Chandauka by the royal couple.
In response to the allegations, Prince Harry and co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho released a joint statement saying they quit as patrons “with heavy hearts” in support of the trustees in their dispute with Chandauka. However, Sky News reported that neither Harry nor Meghan offered a formal response to the allegations.
Source: https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/chair-african-charity-prince-harry-founded-royal-orchestrated-120309816