It has been revealed how Meghan Markle reportedly played a role in Prince Harry’s disconnection from his Sentebale charity.
It has been alleged that the royal stepped back from charity after marrying Meghan, and his co-founder Prince Seeiso’s brother called out the Duke of Sussex for not visiting Lesotho “more often.”
“When Sentebale was launched, I remember his words quite vividly, because he was very strong in saying ‘my mother, Princess Diana, this place, her passion about Africa’ and all that,” Principal Chief Khoabane Theko told The Telegraph.
He continued: “He’s a loved figure because of his openness, but his loss of interest has totally killed the spirit of the Sentebale’s survival. I haven’t seen Harry since he got himself married.”
Harry is understood to have made four visits to Lesotho between June 2010 and late 2015, and his most recent visit in October 2024 marked his first in six years.
Khoabane also noted that he was “perturbed” to see Prince Harry and Meghan visit Africa in the early days of their relationship in 2016 without paying a visit in Lesotho.
Back in March, Prince Harry declared that he was “in shock” as he stepped away from being a patron of an African charity.
Sentebale was set up in 2006 to help children and young people in southern Africa, particularly those affected by HIV and Aids.
Prince Harry announced the was forced to step down amid a battle between the charity’s chairwoman Dr Sophie Chandauka and the board of trustees.
Prince Harry released a joint statement with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, saying they had established the charity “in honour of our mothers.”
The statement continued: “With heavy hearts, we have resigned from our roles as patrons of the organisation until further notice, in support of and solidarity with the board of trustees who have had to do the same.”
“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.”
Although details around the argument are sparse, it was reportedly over a decision to focus on fundraising in Africa.
“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.”
She explained that she had reported the trustees to the Charity Commission and that a UK court had issued an injunction to stop them removing her.
“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.
She added that this was a “story of a woman who dared to blow the whistle about issues of poor governance, weak executive management, abuse of power, bullying, harassment, misogyny, misogynoir – and the cover-up that ensued.”
In relation to the controversy, a Charity Commission representative stated they are “aware of concerns about the governance of Sentebale […] We are assessing the issues to determine the appropriate regulatory steps.”
Prince Harry was inspired to start up the charity after spending two months in Lesotho, which has one of the world’s highest rates of HIV and Aids, when he took a gap year in 2004.
Last October, the prince travelled to Africa to speak with the young people of Lesotho about the “massive difference” Sentebale was making.
In addition to this, he was also pictured with Dr Chandauka at a charity polo match in Florida.
Five former trustees also released a statement that said resigning was “devastating” but the “result of our loss in trust and confidence in the chair of the board.”
They said they were forced to step down as they could not allow Sentebale to take on the “legal and financial burden” of a lawsuit brought by the chairwoman “to block us from voting her out after our request for her resignation was rejected.”
They added that the decision to step down was “not a choice willingly made, but rather something we felt forced into in order to look after the charity.”
