Prince Harry accused of 'Harassment and Bullying'

Prince Harry is facing accusations of “harassment and bullying at scale” from Sophie Chandauka, the chair of Sentebale, a charity he co-founded to help young people with HIV and AIDS in Lesotho and Botswana.

Chandauka’s allegations come after Harry, along with co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho and the board of trustees, resigned from the charity amid a dispute she described as “devastating.”

Dispute Over Resignation Announcement

In an interview with Sky News set to be broadcast on Sunday, Chandauka criticized Harry’s handling of his resignation. “At some point on Tuesday, Prince Harry authorised the release of a damaging piece of news to the outside world without informing me or my country directors, or my executive director,” she stated. “That is an example of harassment and bullying at scale.”

Sentebale’s Governance Issues

Harry co-founded Sentebale in 2006 in honour of his late mother, Princess Diana. Chandauka, who has previously cited issues of poor governance, weak executive management, abuse of power, bullying, harassment, misogyny, and misogynoir within the organization, said the charity's operations were outdated and needed reform to match modern standards.

She told the Financial Times that she was asked by Harry’s team to protect Meghan Markle from negative media coverage, a request she refused. She also noted that funders were increasingly demanding locally-led initiatives, which she said were not being adequately implemented.

Statements from Harry and Seeiso

Harry and Seeiso released a joint statement on Wednesday calling the breakdown of the relationship between the charity’s trustees and Chandauka “devastating.” They said the trustees acted in the charity’s best interests when asking Chandauka to step down. However, Chandauka has since sued Sentebale to retain her position.

As the dispute continues, questions remain about the charity’s governance and future direction.

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