Prince Harry & Sophie Chandauka made statements after the ruling on Sentebale

Back in March, Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso resigned from Sentebale in protest of Sentebale’s chairwoman Sophie Chandauka. Harry, Seeiso and a majority of Sentebale’s board had tried to push Chandauka out of her job, but she ran to the Charity Commission (in the UK) to out-maneuver them. Once Harry and Seeiso had resigned, Chandauka went a tour through the British media, accusing Harry and Meghan of being “toxic” for the Sentebale brand, and claiming that she was the victim of bullying and misogynoir. As it turns out, the whole reason why Harry and Seeiso wanted Chandauka out of Sentebale in the first place was her own gross mismanagement, including a spending spree on “consultants” with no board approval. Sophie also installed one of Prince William’s close allies (Iain Rawlinson) to the board, and it very much looked like Rawlinson was working with Chandauka to bring down Sentebale. In early April, this whole situation was handed to the Charity Commission to investigate. Well, they completed their inquiry and statements were issued.

On Aug. 5, the Charity Commission for England and Wales announced it found no evidence of “widespread or systemic bullying, harassment, misogyny or misogynoir” at Sentebale, following an investigation into claims made by the charity’s current chair, Dr. Sophie Chandauka. The Commission also found no “overreach” by either Chandauka or Prince Harry, 40, who stepped down as Sentebale’s patron in March following what he described as a breakdown in leadership.

However, the Commission criticized all sides for allowing the conflict “to play out publicly” and cited poor internal governance and a “failure to resolve disputes internally severely impacted the charity’s reputation and risked undermining public trust in charities more generally.”

In a statement responding to the findings, a spokesperson for Prince Harry said, “Unsurprisingly, the Commission makes no findings of wrongdoing in relation to Sentebale’s Co-Founder and former Patron, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex. They also found no evidence of widespread bullying, harassment or misogyny and misogynoir at the charity, as falsely claimed by the current Chair. Despite all that, their report falls troublingly short in many regards, primarily the fact that the consequences of the current Chair’s actions will not be borne by her — but by the children who rely on Sentebale’s support.”

A source tells PEOPLE that Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso see no way back to the charity while Chanduka is in place, but that they are keeping their options open.

“Both Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso are devastated by what has effectively been a hostile takeover by Sophie Chandauka,” the source close to the former trustees and patrons says. “This was Prince Seeiso and Prince Harry’s life work. They established it 19 years ago and in that time put in blood, sweat and tears and their own money into building this charity up to what it was: a multi-million pound charity that delivered nothing but good for the beneficiary community that is supported in Lesotho and Botswana.”

In a separate statement, Sentebale’s former trustees expressed disappointment in the Commission’s findings, saying key issues they raised about the charity’s leadership had been overlooked. “We are disheartened by the way in which the Charity Commission has chosen to ignore key concerns and irrefutable evidence raised with them regarding the leadership and oversight of Sentebale’s Chair,” the statement read. “We accept there is always room to strengthen governance of an organisation, which is why we welcomed a governance review by the Chair initiated in February 2024, and that should have only taken a matter of months — we unfortunately never saw a report or any outcomes enacted, more than two years into her tenure.”

“We remain gravely concerned for the future of the charity and the wellbeing of the communities we served for 19 years, following the mission set out by Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso in honour of their mothers,” the statement concluded.

Sentebale’s current board said it accepted the Charity Commission’s findings and committed to carrying out the regulator’s recommendations. In a statement, the organization said it supported the Commission’s Regulatory Action Plan issued to address their internal dispute policy, improve the charity’s complaints and whistleblowing procedures and establish clearer processes for delegating authority. The Commission will monitor progress in the Action Plan, which includes timescales. Chandauka said, “I appreciate the Charity Commission for its conclusions, which confirm the governance concerns I raised privately in February 2025. The experience was intense, and it became a test of our strategic clarity and operational resilience.”

Saying that Sentebale has continued to support young people in Lesotho and Botswana, Chandauka added, “I thank every dedicated colleague and the courageous new Board members who have stayed focused on the mission in the face of unprecedented media glare. The unexpected adverse media campaign that was launched by those who resigned on 24 March 2025 has caused incalculable damage and offers a glimpse of the unacceptable behaviors displayed in private. We are emerging not just grateful to have survived, but stronger: more focused, better governed, boldly ambitious and with our dignity intact.”

“Despite the recent turbulence, we will always be inspired by the vision of our Founders, Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso, who established Sentebale in memory of their precious mothers, Princess Diana and Queen ‘Mamohato,” she added. “To all who believe in our mission: please walk with us as Sentebale recovers, renews, and rises to meet the hopes and expectations of the next generation.”

A source close to the former trustees found it “appalling” that Chandauka invoked the name of the founders and their late mothers in her statement “for her own good.”

[From People]

“…In the face of unprecedented media glare. The unexpected adverse media campaign that was launched by those who resigned on 24 March 2025 has caused incalculable damage and offers a glimpse of the unacceptable behaviors displayed in private…” Chandauka went on an unhinged media tour, giving a half-dozen interviews blaming Harry for everything under the sun. Harry only released two statements that entire time, and one of them was his resignation from Sentebale. The Charity Commission’s findings are that all of Chandauka’s outlandish claims were lies. It’s completely absurd that the headlines in the British media are about the Charity Commission blaming “both sides” for the issue becoming public – this was a hostile takeover of a charity by a pathological liar whose PUBLIC claims fell apart in a matter of days.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, screencaps courtesy of Sky News.