Dr Sophie Chandauka, the chief of Prince Harry’s Africa charity has accused the “toxic” Duke of Sussex of “harassment and bullying”. The development comes a few days after Prince Harry quit the Sentebale charity that he co-founded in 2006 to help young people affected by AIDS in southern Africa.
In an interview with Sky News, Dr Chandauka claimed that the Duke of Sussex initiated the campaign by the “unleashing of the Sussex [PR] machine”.
“The only reason I’m here is because 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,” said Dr Chandauka.
“And can you imagine what that attack has done for me, on me and the 540 individuals in the Sentebale organisations and their family? That is an example of harassment and bullying at scale,” she added.
Relations between Dr Chandauka, who was appointed in 2023 and Prince Harry have soured for some time now. It is not precisely clear what triggered the fallout but Dr Chandauka said she was being targeted after raising serious concerns about the charity.
“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,” Dr Chandauka said in a statement, seemingly targeting Prine Harry, last week.
Dr Chandauka added that she had reported trustees to the UK’s Charity Commission regulator and taken her case to the High Court in London.
Prince Harry quits
Prince Harry alongside Prince Seeiso of Lesotho quit the charity last week after the relationship “broke down beyond repair”, according to joint statement.
“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,” the statement said.
Several trustees have already left the organisation and requested Dr Chandauka’s resignation.