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Prince Harry has officially resigned from Sentebale, the charity he co-founded in 2006 alongside Prince Seeiso of Lesotho. According to the BBC, Dr. Sophie Chandauka, is acting as a whistleblower at the charity.

This led to internal turmoil within the organization, resulting in the exit of multiple trustees and executives.

The Duke of Sussex, along with Prince Seeiso, expressed their disappointment over the situation, stating in a joint statement, "What transpired is unthinkable.

We are in shock that we have to do this. Nearly 20 years ago, we founded Sentebale in honor of our mothers. Sentebale means 'forget me not' in Sesotho, the local language of Lesotho, and it's what we've always promised for the young people we've served through this charity."

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A Mass Resignation of Leadership

The controversy has resulted in the mass resignation of several key figures within Sentebale. Alongside Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso, former trustees Timothy Boucher, Mark Dyer, Audrey Kgosidintsi, Kelello Lerotholi, and Damian West have also stepped down.

Richard Miller has also resigned as chief executive after five years in the role, while Baroness Chalker, the overseas development minister, had already departed a month earlier.

The Breakdown Between Trustees and Chair

At the heart of the controversy is Dr. Sophie Chandauka, who was appointed chair of the board in July 2023.

Prince Harry stated that the relationship between Dr. Chandauka and the board of trustees "broke down beyond repair" after she was asked to resign. Following this, she took legal action, escalating the dispute further.

Dr. Chandauka issued a strong statement addressing the situation, stating, "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’s Whistleblower Allegations

Sophie Chandauka is a Zimbabwe-born corporate finance lawyer, entrepreneur and head of Americas risk management and intelligence at Meta. In 2021, she was awarded an MBE for 'services to diversity in business' in the UK.

Recently, Dr. Chandauka has positioned herself as a whistleblower, claiming she exposed misconduct within Sentebale. According to her, she reported concerns about "poor governance, weak executive management, abuse of power, bullying, harassment, misogyny, misogynoir [discrimination against Black women] - and the coverup that ensued."

She also asserted that her role at Sentebale was not merely symbolic, stating, "My work with Sentebale is not a vanity project from which I can resign when I am called to account."

Reports indicate that she raised these concerns with the UK Charity Commission, alleging "issues including abuse of power, bullying, sexism, and racism."

Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso Stand by the Trustees

In their joint statement, Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso made it clear that they resigned in "solidarity with the board of trustees."

 They expressed their regret over the breakdown, saying, "It is devastating that the relationship between the charity's trustees and the chair of the board broke down beyond repair, creating an untenable situation."

They further added, "We thank all the trustees for their service over the years and are truly heartbroken they’ve had to follow through with this act. 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, so we will be sharing all of our concerns with the Charity Commission as to how this came about."

The unfolding drama has left Sentebale in an uncertain position. With its founders and key leaders stepping down, the charity now faces scrutiny from the UK Charity Commission. The outcome of Dr. Chandauka’s legal action and the broader investigation into her claims remain to be seen.