It was widely seen as the charity perhaps closest to Harry’s heart when he founded Sentebale in 2006 when the prince was just 22 years old.
The organization, dedicated to assisting children and teenagers facing HIV or AIDS diagnoses, was named after the Sesotho term for ‘forget-me-not.’ This nods to Princess Diana’s cherished flower and her widely lauded charitable endeavors during her lifetime.
But now Prince Harry finds himself no longer part of the charity he spent nearly 20 years building after he dramatically parted ways with Sentebale.
Dr. Sophie Chandauka, the chair of the charity, levied serious accusations against the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, describing their brand as ‘toxic’ and alleging Harry engaged in ‘harassment and bullying on a large scale’ – an allegation that is refuted.
This statement came after assertions that Meghan Markle caused disruptions at last year’s Sentebale charity polo match by arriving unexpectedly with tennis icon Serena Williams.
The duchess had originally said she would not be attending.
Speaking to MailOnline, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams said that Harry’s struggles to carve out a career for himself, coupled with Meghan’s own ‘ruthless’ ambitions, have meant the prince has found himself ‘the spare’ in their relationship.
Richard said that Meghan has ambitions to become a billionaire with her various projects including TV and investing in start-ups, but Harry lacks the same ‘ruthlessness’.
Harry and Meghan with the chair of Sentebale Dr Sophie Chandauka at a charity polo match. Meghan disrupted the Sentebale charity polo match in Spring last year when she turned up alongside tennis legend Serena Williams
Prince Harry with children from Lesotho following the launch of his charity Sentebale in 2006. It was widely seen as the charity perhaps closest to Harry’s heart
Dr Sophie Chandauka, the chair of Sentebale. Dr Sophie made several damaging claims against the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, calling their brand ‘toxic’
‘Harry is increasingly finding himself as the spare in a relationship with Meghan which undoubtedly involves mutual affection, but where their priorities differ widely.’
He said that Harry’s comfort zone is his charity work, and this is the direction in which he naturally finds himself leaning.
‘Invictus means a lot to him, it was a joy to see him at the WellChild Awards last year. He genuinely enjoyed being with the children, it seemed as though the “old Harry” was temporarily back,’ he said.
However, he cautioned that the duke has made a ‘large number of mistakes’.
These include his ‘angry and resentful half-hour interview with the BBC after he lost his court case over security and his ill-judged memoir Spare’.
Richard added: ‘However, though often emotional, he lacks Meghan’s ruthlessness, which was so apparent in the Oprah interview.’
Although The Mail On Sunday revealed in May that Prince Harry is planning to launch his own as-yet-undisclosed commercial venture in the next few months, he remains focused on his charity work.
Harry is still involved heavily with the Invictus Games and the foundation that supports the tournament as well as the HALO Trust – a charity working to remove landmines, which Princess Diana was supportive of.
The Duke of Sussex also launched more new projects in recent years including an eco-travel campaign through his non-profit Travalyst, aimed at encouraging sustainable travel.
Harry and Meghan at the Sentebale charity polo match. It was claimed the polo event was gatecrashed by the former Suits star with Serena Williams and a Netflix crew in tow
Harry and Dr Sophie’s working relationship had been in trouble for sometime but it was only after the duke announced he was stepping down that an excruciating video showing Meghan Markle moving Sentebale chief away from her husband took on new importance
Harry with Sentebale in 2006. The charity – which helps children and teenagers tackle HIV or AIDS diagnoses – was named after the Sesotho word for ‘forget-me-not’ in reference to Princess Diana’s favourite flower and her much praised charity work during her life
In November 2023 he became the global ambassador for Scotty’s Little Soldiers – a charity that cares for children whose parents died while serving in the armed forces.
Earlier this year, Harry had his most high-profile fallout with a former charity to date when he, alongside Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, resigned from their roles as patrons of Sentebale.
This followed a dispute between the charity’s trustees and Dr Sophie – the charity’s chair.
Harry and Dr Sophie’s working relationship had been in trouble for some time but it was only after the duke announced he was stepping down that an excruciating video showing Meghan Markle moving the Sentebale chief away from her husband took on new importance.
It was claimed the polo event was gatecrashed by the former Suits star with Serena Williams and a Netflix crew in tow.
The Duchess of Sussex seemingly forced Dr Sophie Chandauka to duck under the trophy as Harry celebrated the Royal Salute Polo Challenge in Wellington, Florida, in support of Sentebale’s work.
Moments before, Meghan had kissed her husband to celebrate his win – with a Netflix camera crew there to capture the moment for his TV series on polo.
The footage of Meghan and Dr Sophie with Harry at the centre has been watched millions of times online in the past year but is being viewed again in a new light after Dr Sophie’s bombshell interview with Sky News where she discussed the notorious clip.
Meghan at the charity polo match. While Harry’s own career aspirations may appear rudderless at the moment, Meghan’s seem more ambitious than ever, with the former Suits actress reportedly hoping to become a billionaire
Speaking to Sky News’ Trevor Phillips, Dr Sophie recalled the chaotic event, telling him: ‘We would have been really excited had we known ahead of time [Meghan was coming], but we didn’t.
‘And so 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.
‘Prince Harry asked me to issue some sort of a statement in support of the duchess, and 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.’
While Harry’s own career aspirations may appear rudderless at the moment, Meghan’s appear more ambitious than ever with the former Suits actress reportedly hoping to become a billionaire.
As for her hopes of reaching this goal, Richard said that her public image could be problematic.
‘Her declining popularity in the United States is partly due to the bullying allegations which have dogged her though she strongly denies them, and partly because, as was pointed out by critics of her With Love, Meghan cookery show, she is too self-obsessed,’ he explained.
Prince Harry and Meghan in 2022. Even during the drama of ‘Megxit’, Harry and Meghan’s early business ventures were almost entirely joint
Speaking to MailOnline, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams said that Harry’s comfort zone is his charity work, and this is the direction in which he naturally finds himself leaning
‘She should take advice from the infamous but pragmatic 16th century diplomat Nicolo Machiavelli who wrote “It is not necessary that a prince (in her case a princess) be just. It is very necessary that he (she) appear to be”.
‘The talent isn’t there, the ambition is boundless, the self-love infinite and it shows far too obviously. The novelty has worn off, too. If you preach love but rubbish the royal family, which you married into, you might not make the fortune you seek!’
Indeed, Meghan does appear to have focused much of her energy on her solo business projects in recent years.
In March 2024, she soft-launched American Riviera Orchard before changing the company’s name to As Ever.
Announcing the new venture, Meghan said: ‘This new chapter is an extension of what has always been my love language, beautifully weaving together everything I cherish – food, gardening, entertaining, thoughtful living, and finding joy in the everyday.’
The food products sold by the brand include an assortment of teas, edible flower sprinkles and a £20 jar of honey.
Meghan has also invested in a number of companies including the vegan coffee brand Clevr Blends and haircare line Highbrow Hippie.
She has also invested in asset manager Ethic, which focuses on sustainable investments.
Harry and Meghan signed a lucrative £18million deal with Spotify in 2020. However, despite appearing to be a joint venture, the only show they produced was hosted by Meghan.
In 2022, the first Netflix series about the Sussexes was released, aptly named Harry and Meghan. While it holds the record for the biggest debut for a Netflix documentary, it received mixed reviews from critics
In the series, titled Archetypes, Meghan interviewed various celebrities from Serena Williams to Paris Hilton.
The deal was ‘mutually ended’ in June 2023 with sources claiming the music streaming giant did not see a enough content to warrant the full payout.
Earlier this year, the duchess launched her Confessions of a Female Founder with Meghan podcast which saw her chat with female business owners from an array of successful companies.
In a slight career change, Meghan also penned a children’s book in 2021 titled The Bench.
The book follows the relationship of a father and son through the eyes of the mother.
It received mixed reviews from critics.
In their television projects, Harry and Meghan have kept a much more united front but even so the couple do now appear to be doing much more separate projects.
Although an official figure was never announced, Harry and Meghan’s deal with Netflix was allegedly worth around £80million and has seen the couple produce multiple shows.
Meghan’s new podcast is one of her latest solo business ventures
Harry’s brief cameo at the end of Meghan’s Netflix lifestyle programme. A source from the show has since reported that neither Harry nor their children will appear in the next season of the show
In 2022, the first Netflix series about the Sussexes was released aptly named Harry and Meghan.
In their television projects, Harry and Meghan have kept a much more united front but even so the couple do now appear to be doing much more separate projects.
Although an official figure was never announced, Harry and Meghan’s deal with Netflix was allegedly worth around £80million and has seen the couple produce multiple shows.
In 2022, the first Netflix series about the Sussexes was released aptly named Harry and Meghan.
While it holds the record for the biggest debut for a Netflix documentary it received mixed reviews.
The pair were also executive producers on the Polo sports documentary series which followed athletes at the US Open Polo Championship.
In 2023, Meghan did not join Harry as an executive producer on the Heart of Invictus series, although the duke and duchess did appear together during the show.
Meghan’s first major solo television project was her lifestyle programme called With Love, Meghan which saw the duchess team up with a number of famous guests to cook and create homeware products.
Harry was almost entirely absent from the series aside from a very brief cameo in the last episode.
A source from the show has since reported that neither Harry nor their children will appear in the next season of the show.
