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Prince Harry takes a brutal hit from Sophie Chandauka, the head of the Sentebale, a charity he co-founded in honor of his late mom to help young people living with HIV/AIDS. The Duke of Sussex shocked the world this past week with the announcement of his resignation from his role as Patron of Sentebale, along with co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho and other members of the board. In a joint statement, Harry and Seeiso expressed heartbreak over their resignations, attributing it to the untenable breakdown of the relationship between Chandauka and the board of trustees.
On her part, the Sentebale chairwoman fired back in a statement, claiming Prince Harry and the board tried to oust her for daring to blow the whistle about the bad practices within the charity. The Zimbabwe-born lawyer highlighted issues like bullying, poor governance, misogyny, misogynoir, weak management, and harassment within the charity organization. She suggested Harry was just as guilty of perpetrating these acts, and then playing the victim card.
Charity Head Speaks Out Against Prince Harry’s Bullying
Days after the Prince’s resignation from the charity, Sophie Chandauka is doubling down on her claims, addressing instances of bullying and harassment by Prince Harry in a Sky News interview. The charity head recalled an instance that happened at a Sentabale Polo game in Wellington and how Harry nearly ruined it with his plans to have it televised for Netflix, causing them to lose the initial venue.
Her account of the complications and technicalities leading up to the polo event in Wellington, Florida, in April 2024 gave room for her to address another event from that day that has since gone viral. Recounting the moment, Chandauka explained how Meghan disrupted the event by turning up with a famous friend despite initially stating that she would not attend. They had one too many people scrambling to take the stage as a result. Chandauka divulged,
“The choreography went badly on stage because we had too many people on stage. The international press captured this, and there was a lot of talk about the duchess and the choreography on stage and whether she should have been there and her treatment of me.”
Harry Allegedly Forced Chandauka to Publicly Vindicate His Wife
When the said footage drew media attention at the time, Meghan Markle faced backlash for her treatment of Chandauka, with many tagging her as a “vile woman.” Sophie Chandauka claimed Prince Harry attempted to do damage control, compelling her to issue a statement in Meghan’s favor, but she declined. The lawyer recalled,
“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.”
The narrative portraying Meghan Markle as vile has prevailed ever since. The event in question was the annual Sentebale charity polo match held last April at the Grand Champions Polo Club. Footage from the event captured the moment Prince Harry and Meghan posed with some polo players. As Sophie Chandauka attempted to join the shot beside Harry, Meghan, who presented the winning team with their trophy, appeared to ask the charity head not to pose next to her husband. The duchess gestured for Chandauka to move at least twice before the chairwoman left Harry’s right-hand side and crouched in a different position beside Meghan instead.
She also insinuated the Duke of Sussex tried to force the failure of Sentebale. In addition, he allegedly pelted the team and sponsors against her, by making her appear unsuccessful in her fundraising efforts in a bid to oust her. Chandauka believes their fundraising decline had more to do with the exiled UK prince, as many of their donors pulled out after Prince Harry quit his royal duties and fled to the US with his wife.
Yet, conversations remotely hinting at Harry’s involvement were off limits within Sentebale, and she was never allowed to breach the “delicate” subject in Harry’s presence. Chandauka touched on other scathing subjects, like Sentebale’s staff reactions to Harry’s treatment of her, allegations against him in her earlier statement, as well as her unwavering commitment to the charity.
