What Happened Between Prince Harry and His Sentebale Charity? Drama, Investigation and More

“The Prince of Wales is grateful to independent auditors for reviewing procedures at the Prince’s Foundation, who are today announcing a series of findings,” a Clarence House spokesperson told People at the time. “It is important to His Royal Highness that the charities which bear his name operate to the highest standards, in accordance with rules established by charity regulators. We are taking this opportunity to reinforce guidance to these charities, particularly in respect of their relationships with supporters.”

A spokesperson for Harry insisted that the Duke of Sussex had “no knowledge or involvement” with what he referred to as “the CBE scandal.”

“The Duke and his advisers, as well as his nonprofit Sentebale, severed ties with Mr Mahfouz and his associates in 2015, no longer accepting further donations to Sentebale and discontinuing any plans for a fundraising event amid growing concerns over the motives for his support,” his representative said.

Sentebale’s Collapse

Harry and Seeiso released a joint statement in March 2025 to announce they were resigning as Sentebale trustees. Sky News reported that there had been significant disagreements between the princes and Sentebale’s chairperson, Dr. Chandauka, over U.S. funding and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the nonprofit’s fundraising.

“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,” the princes said. “What’s transpired is unthinkable. … [We are] in shock that we have to do this.”

Prior to their resignation, Harry and Seeiso reportedly encouraged Dr. Chandauka to resign from her position in order to give Sentebale new leadership. Dr. Chandauka refused their demand and released a defiant statement reframing herself as a whistleblower.

“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,” she said.

Her statement went on, “Beneath all the victim narrative and fiction that has been syndicated to the 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 cover-up that ensued.”

Dr. Chandauka later appeared in a bombshell Sky News interview, where she accused Harry and his team of arranging a “harassment and bullying” campaign against her. She alleged the Duke of Sussex’s team released a “damaging piece of news to the outside world without informing [her] or my country directors, or my executive director.”

Both Harry and Dr. Chandauka made complaints to the CC, prompting an ethics investigation into Sentebale to commence in 2025.

What Did the Investigation Find?

On August 5, the CC’s final report gave each side a victory as well as a slap on the wrist. Harry was cleared of any wrongdoing over bullying accusations, while Dr. Chandauka was allowed to keep her job as Sentebale chairperson, according to documents obtained by Us Weekly.

However, the CC report did condemn “all parties” for engaging in conduct that “severely impacted the charity’s reputation.” CC investigators warned that the two parties “risked undermining public trust in charities more generally” unless they were able to resolve their disputes.

Harry’s spokesperson told Us that, while the CC determined “no findings of wrongdoing” on the royal’s behalf, its report fell “troublingly short in many regards.”

“Sentebale has been a deeply personal and transformative mission for Prince Harry, established to serve some of the most vulnerable children in Lesotho and Botswana. For 19 years, its dedicated staff and steadfast supporters have provided vital care to over 100,000 young people across southern Africa, including young people living with HIV/AIDS and those facing mental health challenges,” Harry’s spokesperson said.

The statement continued, “As custodians of this once brilliant charity, Prince Seeiso, Prince Harry and the former Board of Trustees helped grow Sentebale from the seed of an idea to — like its namesake — a flowering force for good. With the original mission of Sentebale firmly in mind—and in honor of the legacy he and Prince Seeiso began—The Duke of Sussex will now focus on finding new ways to continue supporting the children of Lesotho and Botswana.”

Dr. Chandauka released her own statement to various outlets, where she insisted Sentebale had “survived” its very public leadership fight and was now “better governed.”

“Despite the recent turbulence, we will always be inspired by the vision of our Founders, Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso, who established Sentebale in memory of their precious mothers, Princess Diana and Queen Mamohato,” she added.