Why Prince Harry, Prince Lesotho and Sentable Trustees Walked Away from Charity: ‘They Couldn’t Continue in Good Conscience’

The Duke of Sussєx announced his resignation from the charity he cofounded in 2006 with ties to his mother, Princess Diana

Prince Harry, Prince Seeiso of Lesotho and the board of trustees of Sentebale made the shocking decision to resign from the charity amid what has been characterized as a financial crisis and internal turmoil.

On March 26, the Duke of Sussєx, 40, and Prince Seeiso, 58, announced the “devastating” decision to step down as patrons of the charity, backing the trustees who also resigned over a fallout with chairwoman Dr. Sophie Chandauka. After trustees asked Chandauka to resign, she brought a lawsuit against the charity, which supports young people in southern Africa. The Charity Commission, based in the U.K., confirmed they are investigating.

A Sentebale source familiar with the situation tells PEOPLE that Chandauka has placed significant legal and financial strain on Sentebale. According to the source, when Chandauka was appointed in July 2023, the organization was in stable financial standing — but that changed under her leadership.

When the most recent fundraising deal collapsed in December 2024, internal discussions began about her stepping down. By February, the board formally requested her resignation, but Chandauka allegedly refused. When trustees moved forward with a vote to remove her, she filed a legal challenge to block the process.

A key turning point reportedly came when tensions arose between Chandauka and a major funder of the Sentebale Polo Cup, the charity’s flagship fundraising event. As a result of this breakdown, the 2024 match did not take place. Separately, Chandauka hired external consultants — at a cost of over $600,000 — to develop new fundraising strategies and build relationships with potential donors, allegedly without securing board approval.

“The trustees felt that they couldn’t in good conscience continue to place legal and financial strain on the charity by it proceeding in court and chose to resign,” the source says.

When reached for comment, a representative for Chandauka tells PEOPLE: “First and foremost, like much of the content circulated yesterday, a lot of information being shared is untrue and defamatory in nature. When we are ready as an organization, we will share more detail regarding the events leading up to this point. Moreover, the Board acts collectively on major decisions, and it would be inappropriate to assume decisions were made by any one person.  As previously said, legal action was taken because of the cover-up of issues relating to abuse of power, misconduct, mismanagement, bullying, harassment, misogyny and misogynoir amongst other concerns.”

Prince Harry (center) and Dr. Sophie Chandauka (right) at a Sentebale panel discussion in Miami on April 11, 2024.Jason Koerner/Getty
Prince Harry set up Sentebale alongside Prince Seeiso in 2006 in memory of both of their late mothers. The Duke of Sussєx saw it as continuing the legacy of Princess Diana, who campaigned to help those with AIDS.

The pair said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE: “Nearly twenty 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. Today is no different.”

“With heavy hearts, we have resigned from our roles as Patrons of the organization 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.

“These trustees acted in the best interest of the charity in asking the chair to step down, while keeping the wellbeing of staff in mind. In turn, she sued the charity to remain in this voluntary position, further underscoring the broken relationship.

“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.

“Although we may no longer be Patrons, we will always be its founders, and we will never forget what this charity is capable of achieving when it is in the right care.”

Prince Seeiso of Lesotho and Prince Harry in Lesotho on Oct. 1, 2024.Brian Otieno/Getty
Former trustees Timothy Boucher, Mark Dyer, Audrey Kgosidintsi, Dr Kelello Lerotholi and Damian West said in their own statement: “As a group of British and African trustees, we have made the difficult decision to unanimously resign as board members of Sentebale. We are deeply proud to have supported the visionary work of the Founding Patrons Prince Seeiso and Prince Harry, who founded Sentebale in memory of their mothers. For two decades, Sentebale has championed hundreds of thousands of children and young people, providing them with care, training and life skills, which not only benefit each individual child they support, but their families and their communities as a whole.

“Today’s decision is nothing short of devastating for all of us, but we see no other path forward as the result of our loss in trust and confidence in the Chair of the board.

“Our priority has always been, and will always be, what’s in the best interest of the charity, and it’s desperately sad the breakdown in relationship escalated to a lawsuit by the Chair against the charity, to block us from voting her out after our request for her resignation was rejected. We could not in good conscience allow Sentebale to undertake that legal and financial burden and have been left with no other option but to vacate our positions. This was not a choice willingly made, but rather something we felt forced into in order to look after the charity.”

“Our sincere hope is that with this decision, the road ahead steadies for the sake of our staff and the communities we serve. Sentebale is simply too important to us.”

Chandauka previously released a statement obtained by PEOPLE following what the charity called a “restructuring of our board.”

“Discerning readers will ask themselves: why would the Chair of the Board report her own Trustees to the Charity Commission? Why would the High Court of England and Wales accept her application to hear the matter at all if the case had no merit?” she said. “Well, because beneath all the victim narrative and fiction that has been syndicated to press is the 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 coverup that ensued. I could be anyone.”

Chandauka added, “For me, this is not a vanity project from which I can resign when I am called to account. I am an African who has had the privilege of a world-class education and career. I will not be intimidated. I must stand for something. I stand for those other women who do not have the ways and means.”

From left: Nacho Figueras, Dr. Sophie Chandauka, Prince Harry and Richard Miller attend Sentebale polo match on April 12, 2024.Jason Koerner/Getty
On March 26, Sentebale shared a statement on social media praising “staff and local partners” over the patrons and trustees.

“It’s the incredible teams on the ground — our staff and local partners — who bring our mission to life every day, walking alongside the children and young people we serve,” they said. “While Trustees are key for governance and regulation, and Patrons — especially Founders — are an honor to have, it’s the people in the field who are advancing the work, no matter what.”

“Our commitment to supporting youth in Southern Africa with better health, stronger livelihoods, and climate resilience remains as strong as ever,” they continued. “The work continues because they deserve nothing less.”

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and Dr. Sophie Chandauka at the Sentebale polo match on April 12, 2024.Yaroslav Sabitov/PA Images via Getty
Prince Harry last visited Lesotho in October 2024, where he met with local communities alongside Prince Seeiso and Chandauka.

The Duke of Sussєx has played in the polo matches to benefit Sentebale, fundraising around $10 million over the last decade. At the Royal Salute Polo Challenge in Florida on April 12, 2024, Prince Harry was joined for photos by wife Meghan Markle and Chandauka following the match.