The UK’s charity watchdog has said it has opened a case into “concerns raised” about Sentebale – which the Duke of Sussex quit as patron of amid a boardroom battle.
The Charity Commission said it had opened a “compliance case” to assess concerns raised about Sentebale.
Prince Harry stepped down from the charity last week alongside fellow co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, with whom he started the organisation in 2006 to help young people with HIV in Lesotho and Botswana.
The investigation comes after the charity’s chair, Dr Sophie Chandauka, spoke to Sky News over the weekend, accusing the prince of “harassment and bullying at scale” by “unleashing” the Sussex PR machine – an allegation a source close to the former trustees denied as “completely baseless”.
The regulator said it was investigating both the charity’s former trustees as well as its chair.
Prince Harry charity row explained
In response to news of the investigation, the Duke of Sussex said in a statement: “What has transpired over the last week has been heartbreaking to witness, especially when such blatant lies hurt those who have invested decades in this shared goal.
“On behalf of the former trustees and patrons, we share in the relief that the Charity Commission confirmed they will be conducting a robust inquiry. We fully expect it will unveil the truth that collectively forced us to resign.
“We remain hopeful this will allow for the charity to be put in the right hands immediately, for the sake of the communities we serve.”
In a statement, Dr Chandauka said: “I welcome the Charity Commission’s decision to proceed with a regulatory compliance case to consider the various governance, administration and management matters I first reported in February 2025.”
She added she would share the findings of an internal review conducted last year with it and said the charity would continue to be focused on its “day-to-day operations”.
Sentebale chief executive Carmel Gaillard said she welcomed “the clarity this process will bring”.
Charity Commission statement
In a statement, the regulator said: “The Charity Commission is now in direct contact with parties who have raised concerns to gather evidence and assess the compliance of the charity and trustees, past and present, with their legal duties.
“The regulator’s focus, in line with its statutory remit, will be to determine whether the charity’s current and former trustees, including its chair, have fulfilled their duties and responsibilities under charity law.
“The Commission is not an adjudicator or mediator and is guided by the principle of ensuring trustees fulfil their primary duty to their charitable purpose and beneficiaries.
“After a period of assessing the initial concerns raised with the Commission, the regulator informed the charity on 2 April 2025 it has opened a regulatory compliance case. The regulator has not made any findings at this time.”
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Sentebale chair claims
Dr Chandauka previously told Sky News’s Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips: “The only reason I’m here… is because at some point on Tuesday, Prince Harry authorised the release of a damaging piece of news to the outside world without informing me or my country directors, or my executive director.
“And can you imagine what that attack has done for me, on me and the 540 individuals in the Sentebale organisations and their family?
“That is an example of harassment and bullying at scale.”
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A source close to the former trustees of the Sentebale charity has described as “completely baseless” Dr Chandauka’s claims that she was bullied and harassed, briefed against by Prince Harry, or that the Sussex machine was unleashed on her.
A source said the ex-trustees “fully expected this publicity stunt and reached their collective decision with this in mind. They remain firm in their resignation, for the good of the charity, and look forward to the adjudication of the truth”.
