It was the most personal fall out: the vicious war of words and the ‘he said, she said’ of the Sentebale row between chair Sophie Chandauka and Prince Harry really hooking us all in back in April.
But while the Charity Commission has now given everyone involved a significant slap on the wrist for allowing it to play out so publicly, has a line really been drawn under it all? I’m afraid it doesn’t feel like it.
The role of the Charity Commission was to play adjudicator, to try to assess what had fundamentally gone wrong to cause a catastrophic breakdown at the heart of Sentebale, and the collapse of the relationship between the chair, the patrons and the trustees. In the end there has been no outright winner from the regulator’s verdict.
All sides are blamed for airing the dirty laundry of this dispute through statements and interviews in the media, including Ms Chandauka’s exclusive interview on Sky News, and ultimately allowing it to “severely” impact “the charity’s reputation” and risking “undermining public trust in charities more generally”.
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Charity chair’s bullying claims on Sky News (March 2025)
Both sides can however reflect on partial victories. It is huge that Harry has been cleared over those allegations of racism or misogyny with no evidence found. Ms Chandauka also remains in place as chair of the charity.
But despite the clear criticism from the charity regulator of the point scoring on both sides, this spat appears far from over when you look at the responding statements we’ve received since the report was released.
Ms Chandauka continues to refer to the “incalculable damage” done by what she describes as the “unexpected adverse media campaign” from Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso.
While sources close to Prince Harry are keen that we don’t lose sight of how “devastated” he is, describing it as “nothing short of a hostile takeover” and saying the report “falls troublingly short in many regards”. The former trustees say they continue to be “gravely concerned for the future of the charity”.
Sophie Chandauka on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips
In many ways the strength of feeling isn’t surprising when you step back and consider what really matters, the charity itself and its purpose.
Ultimately, this was a passion project founded 19 years ago by two men to honour their mothers and help young people in Lesotho with AIDS and HIV who had previously just been left to fend for themselves – a charity that became a huge success and attracted global attention.
Sentebale is now under a Regulatory Action Plan, which means they will be monitored by the Charity Commission and further action will be taken if the plan isn’t followed.
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As for Prince Harry and the team around him, I’m told the young people of Lesotho and Botswana, and what he can do around HIV and AIDS, and mental health support, remains “an absolute priority”, as they try to work out how he can best do that in a meaningful way.
For now he must look back at what Sentebale once was, as the charity now moves forward without him.