At the center of Prince Harry’s ongoing dispute with the African charity he helped establish is a revealing letter that highlights alleged relationship breakdowns and months of significant issues. The charity, Sentebale, which Harry co-founded in memory of his late mother to support young people with HIV and AIDS in Lesotho and Botswana, is now embroiled in legal action against the Duke of Sussex.
Prince Harry’s dramatic departure from the charity’s board last year followed a highly publicized conflict with the chairwoman, Sophie Chandauka. He described her leadership as “untenable,” which marked a turning point in his involvement.
Recently, it was disclosed that Sentebale has initiated a High Court lawsuit concerning libel and slander against Prince Harry and his friend, Mark Dyer, who once served as his royal equerry.
The contents of a letter from former trustees of Sentebale have surfaced, shedding light on the depth of the discord within the organization. The letter accuses Ms. Chandauka of intimidation and misconduct, painting a picture of the challenges faced by the charity.
This letter, signed by Mark Dyer and five other trustees, came to light after a wave of resignations from the charity in March 2025, further indicating the internal struggles that have plagued Sentebale.
The letter was signed by Mr Dyer and five other trustees following the mass resignations in March 2025.
The trustees said they had decided to unanimously quit their positions after raising ‘significant concerns’ over Ms Chandauka’s conduct.
Explaining the decisions had been ‘not sudden’ but reached after sustained difficulties, the letter further alleged a ‘breakdown’ in relationships between staff – and accused Ms Chandauka of trying to manipulate board minutes.
Prince Harry and Sophie Chandauka in April 2024
The charity is suing Harry and his former equerry Mark Dyer, who also walked out as a trustee, in a claim listed on March 24 as ‘defamation, libel and slander’ (pair pictured together in 2016)
Prince Harry has strongly rejected claims lodged against him in a High Court defamation suit by Sentebale, the African charity he helped to found but sensationally quit after a boardroom battle with its chair Sophie Chandauka (right)
Referring to Ms Chandauka’s pursuit of a High Court injunction to block a board meeting against her, the letter, seen by The Times, read: ‘There can be no more damning evidence of your failure to act as a leader capable of putting the charity’s best interests first.
‘This attack from within threatens to destroy Sentebale for good.’
The trustees further warned the situation had become ‘untenable’ and said the charity faced ‘irreparable damage’.
Sentebale, which means ‘forget-me-not’ in the language of Lesotho, southern Africa, was co-founded by the prince in 2006. It has faced a funding crisis since his departure a year ago.
The row with Ms Chandauka began in 2024 when the Sentebale board challenged her over a £400,000 bill for consultants they said had brought little return.
She was asked to step down but instead complained to the Charity Commission, alleging bullying, misogyny and racism.
She accused the duke of trying to ‘eject’ her through ‘bullying’ and ‘harassment’, which he denies.
A probe found no evidence of bullying but said there had been weak governance and criticised all parties for allowing an internal dispute to become public.
In March 2025, the trustees resigned en masse, blaming Ms Chandauka’s alleged ‘almost dictatorial’ leadership. Harry and his co-founder, Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, resigned as patrons, calling the situation ‘untenable’.
The 41-year-old prince later called the breakdown in the relationship with Ms Chandauka ‘devastating’ and criticised her leadership, saying the consequences ‘will not be borne by her, but by the children who rely on Sentebale’s support’.
The March 2025 letter, which sheds new light on the detail of allegations, warned that in the absence of replacements, trustees would consider ‘options for the charity’s closure and transferral of its remaining assets to another charity with similar aims’.
In a message issued by Sentebale’s Board of Trustees and Executive Director, the charity has now claimed it had been subject to a ‘coordinated adverse media campaign’ conducted since March 25 last year.
Sentebale said this caused ‘operational disruption and reputational harm to the charity, its leadership, and its strategic partners’ and also ‘had significant viral impact and triggered an onslaught of cyber-bullying directed at the charity and its leadership’.
The campaign supposedly involved the circulation of ‘false narratives’ through the media, attempts to ‘undermine’ its relationships with staff and partners and forced a ‘diversion of leadership time and resources into managing a reputational crisis not of the charity’s making’.
Sentebale said it decided to take legal action to secure the protection of its operations and partnerships, adding the ‘costs of doing so are met entirely by external funding and no charitable funds have been used’.
Responding to allegations in the letter, the charity said: ‘This matter is subject to active legal proceedings. It would therefore be inappropriate to comment on any aspect or share documents that are not in the public domain.
‘We can confirm that Sentebale is acting in accordance with its legal and regulatory duties, including proper governance and oversight. The charity has been in full dialogue with the Charity Commission for months, including in advance of filing this claim.’
The Duke of Sussex has said the claims made against him by Sentebale of running an ‘adverse media campaign against them’ which led to ‘false narratives circulating’ are ‘offensive and damaging’.
Recently, the charity slashed staff in the UK and Botswana in a bid to save £1million.
In August last year, four of the five employees based in the organisation’s London office were made redundant, including its global head of finance and compliance.
Sources claim one in five staff in Botswana were also laid off, including the country director Ketlogetswe Montshiwa, and staff said they feared there was a ‘significant cash flow problem’.
Published accounts show Sentebale ran through almost all its reserves as the row deepened in 2024. Monthly income fell by a quarter and the amount of cash in the bank fell from 1.5 million to £207,000 by December 2024.
