Prince Harry Issued A Statement About Stepping Away From His South African Charity Over An “Untenable Situation”

Prince Harry is stepping away from the charity he founded almost 20 years ago in honor of his late mother, Princess Diana.

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In 2006, Harry cofounded Sentebale with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho.

Brian Otieno / Getty Images for Sentebale

Sentebale is a charity that supports children and adolescents in Lesotho and Botswana who have HIV and AIDS by providing them with “healthcare, critical life skills, education, advocacy, vocational training, and climate resilience.”

Brian Otieno / Getty Images for Sentebale

Sentebale means “forget-me-not” in the Sesotho language and symbolizes the core pledge of the organization that was established in honor of Princess Diana and Queen Mother Mamohato Bereng Seeiso, the Princes’ mothers.

Harry and his Sentebale cofounder announced in a joint statement that “they were stepping down as patrons of the charity in solidarity with five trustees who resigned over an internal dispute” with the organization’s chairwoman, according to CBS News.

She was reportedly asked to step down from her position over a change in Sentebale’s mission, and she refused.

In 2024, Sentebale announced a shift in its mission to include “addressing issues of youth health, wealth, and climate resilience in Southern Africa.”

In the joint statement, Princes Harry and Seeiso said, “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,” they continued.

“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.”

In response to the Princes’ statement, Sentebale’s chairwoman, Sophie Chandauka, defended her position without calling out any specific individual accusing others of “bullying, harassment, misogyny,” and “misogynoir.”

“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.

In 2020, Harry, who currently lives in California with his wife Meghan and their two children, stopped working as a member of the royal family and gave up his military appointments and royal duties, but retained his relationship with charitable organizations and his patronages like Sentebale.

If there are any updates, we’ll let you know.