Thursday, August 7, 2025 - Prince Harry issued a strong statement after he was cleared of bullying allegations at African charity he set up.
On Aug. 5, the Charity Commission for England and Wales
concluded that it found no evidence of "widespread or systemic bullying,
harassment, misogyny or misogynoir" at the African charity Sentebale
following an investigation, People magazine reported. They also found
no "overreach" by the charity’s current chair, Dr. Sophie Chandauka,
or the British prince, 40.
"Unsurprisingly, the Commission makes no findings of
wrongdoing in relation to Sentebale’s Co-Founder and former Patron, Prince
Harry, Duke of Sussex," a spokesperson for Harry told Fox News Digital.
"They also found no evidence of widespread bullying,
harassment, or misogyny and misogynoir at the charity, as falsely claimed by
the current Chair," said the spokesperson. "Despite all that, their
report falls troublingly short in many regards, primarily the fact that the
consequences of the current Chair’s actions will not be borne by her — but by
the children who rely on Sentebale’s support."
The Commission did criticize all sides for allowing the
dispute "to play out publicly," citing poor internal governance and a
"failure to resolve disputes internally [that] severely impacted the
charity’s reputation and risked undermining public trust in charities more
generally."
A spokesperson for Sentebale told Fox News Digital in a
statement that the organization accepted the findings of the investigation.
They’re also determined to follow any recommendations made by the Commission.
"It provides Sentebale with some degree of reassurance
that the Charity Commission has not identified widespread bullying within the
charity, but the Commission has acknowledged the strong perception of ill
treatment felt by a number of parties to the dispute and the impact this may
have had on them personally," read the statement.
"The Charity Commission is explicitly clear, including
in its public guidance, that it is not the Commission’s responsibility to
adjudicate or mediate internal disputes. This would include individual
allegations of bullying, harassment, misogyny, misogynoir, etc."
"As a result, the Commission has not investigated any
individual allegations and therefore has not made any findings in relation to
individuals, including Prince Harry. The issues not investigated by the
Commission can and may be dealt with through avenues more appropriate than
the Commission."
A source told People magazine that both Prince Harry and the
charity's cofounder, Prince Seesio, don’t see a way back to Sentebale as long
as Chanduka is in place.
"Both Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso are devastated by
what has effectively been a hostile takeover by Sophie Chandauka," the
source close to the former trustees and patrons told the outlet.
"This was Prince Seeiso and Prince Harry’s life work.
They established it 19 years ago and, in that time, put in blood, sweat and
tears and their own money into building this charity up to what it was: a
multi-million-pound charity that delivered nothing but good for the beneficiary
community that is supported in Lesotho and Botswana."
In a statement, Chandauka said, "I appreciate the
Charity Commission for its conclusions, which confirm the governance concerns I
raised privately in February 2025. The experience was intense, and it became a
test of our strategic clarity and operational resilience."
"I thank every dedicated colleague and the courageous
new Board members who have stayed focused on the mission in the face of
unprecedented media glare. The unexpected adverse media campaign that was
launched by those who resigned on 24 March 2025 has caused incalculable damage
and offers a glimpse of the unacceptable behaviors displayed in private. We are
emerging not just grateful to have survived, but stronger: more focused, better
governed, boldly ambitious and with our dignity intact."
"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 continued. To all who believe in our
mission: please walk with us as Sentebale recovers, renews, and rises to meet
the hopes and expectations of the next generation."
A source close to the former trustees told People they found
it "appalling" that Chandauka invoked the names of the founders and
their late mothers in her statement "for her own good."
The Duke of Sussex co-founded the charity with Seeiso, whose
mother died in 2003, after visiting Lesotho during his gap year in 2004.
Sentebale was created to help people in Lesotho and Botswana living in poverty
and those suffering from HIV and AIDS.
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