Prince Harry has been heavily criticised by Dr Sophie Chandauka – and according to a royal expert, the charity chair’s remarks about the Duke are ‘predictable’ and ‘very disappointing’
Prince Harry is at the centre of an extraordinary public spat that has seen him and his charity chair “tear each other apart.” The crisis unfolded last week when Harry sensationally quit as a patron of Sentebale, the beloved charity he set up to help young children in Lesotho, along with trustees, amid a boardroom battle.
He co-founded Sentebale in 2006 in honour of his mother, the late Princess Diana, and the ordeal has reportedly left him “torn apart.” Chair Dr Sophie Chandauka has publicly condemned Harry in a blistering attack, accusing him of ‘bullying’ while stating there has been “poor governance, weak executive management, abuse of power, harassment and misogyny” at the organisation. The allegations have been refuted.
British historian and royal expert Dr Tessa Dunlop claims their “public scorched earth policy is difficult to watch, with the charity of a small impoverished African state the biggest loser.” She told the Mirror: “And therein lies the real tragedy of this melodrama: amidst the blame and counter blame, the accusations of bullying, harassment and misrepresentation.
“Rather than waiting for rulings from the Charity Commission and High Court, Chandauka is publicly fighting back – including weaponising the Sussexes’ words against them, berating their use of the ‘very press they disdain, to harm people who have the courage to challenge their conduct”.
And the Sussexes’ brand has come under the spotlight once more, with Dr Chandauka branding it ‘toxic’. Tessa continued: “Even for those of us keen to give the Prince the benefit of the doubt, a pattern of entitlement and truculence is emerging. It turns out there was something in the TikTok rumours that railed against Meghan when she appeared to move Dr Chandauka out of the picture at that Miami polo match.
“The Duchess and Chandauka were seemingly having a standoff. In other words, the bad blood extended beyond ire towards the Prince’s management style, and included Meghan herself. How predictable. And how very disappointing.
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“Prince Harry who, beyond Invictus, is little more than the husband of an influencer these days, needs to have a long hard think about where next. The most recent spat has left him with precious little wriggle room. Accusations of misogyny and bullying will go down like a lead balloon in their favoured liberal circles. It is deeply ironic that in 2016 Harry accused the British press of ‘abuse and harassment’ against his girlfriend, the very same terms that Sentebale’s chairperson has levelled against the Prince.”
She further claimed: “More broadly, while Chandauka’s numerous interviews has done her few favours, longer term questions over the direction of travel for the charity are a reminder that Princes who want to ‘save Africa’ are no longer the order of the day. Given his track record for raising awareness and funds, it would be a crying shame if this latest derailment marks the beginning of the end for Harry’s ‘life of service’.”
It comes after the Telegraph claimed that Dr Chandauka’s refusal to issue a statement in support of Harry’s wife, Meghan, contributed to the bitter dispute, which saw the Duke resign as head of the HIV children’s charity he had co-founded almost two decades ago.
Harry is alleged to have reached out to Dr Chandauka following the Sussexes’ appearance at the Florida polo challenge in April last year. Problems arose at the end of the match when the players and their partners gathered on the podium for a post-match photograph.
READ MORE: Prince Harry phone call that ‘changed everything’ in nightmare charity row
In an exchange captured on camera, Meghan appeared to instruct Dr Chandauka to move away from Harry as he celebrated his win. The Duchess was filmed asking the Zimbabwean lawyer to move to the other side of her husband, forcing the charity chairman to duck under the trophy to switch positions.
The footage generated huge publicity and, behind the scenes, Harry and Meghan were said to be furious at the way it had appeared. According to the publication, a member of Prince Harry’s team initially asked Dr Chandauka to issue a statement dismissing any suggestions of tension.
But Dr Chandauka, who felt she had been treated with disrespect during the charity day, refused, saying she did not wish to “become an extension of the Sussex PR machine”. In an interview on Sky News yesterday, Dr Chandauka claimed: “Prince Harry asked me to issue some sort of a statement in support of the Duchess, and I said I wouldn’t. Not because I didn’t care about the Duchess, but because I knew what would happen if I did so, number one. And number two, because we cannot be an extension of the Sussexes.”
READ MORE: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s team hit back at Sentebale as fierce row escalates
Harry had reportedly contacted her directly to complain about her actions, with sources describing the message as “unpleasant” and using “imperious” language. A spokesman for Sentebale confirmed to the Telegraph that the Duke had sent the message. “This is true. There is a document,” they said.
In his statement announcing his decision to step down as a patron of Sentebale, Harry said he felt “in shock” and “truly heartbroken” to be resigning. Neither Harry nor Meghan have publicly commented on the ongoing drama with Dr Chandauka – but sources close to the Duke have also said her latest comments in the row are a “deflection”, and that the resignation of the trustees and Harry was as a “direct result of the chair’s mismanagement”.
Since Dr Chandauka’s latest interviews, representatives for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have not commented. However, a source close to the former trustees and patrons of Sentebale dismissed her comments as a “publicity stunt”. They added: “They remain firm in their resignation, for the good of the charity, and look forward to the adjudication of the truth.”
Claims the prince’s requests were nodded through by acolytes on the board of trustees were also described as “completely baseless”. The Mirror has reached out to the Sussexes for comment.
