Watchdog opens case into ‘concerns raised’ at Prince Harry’s former charity, Sentebale

The UK’s Charity Commission is looking into “concerns raised” regarding Prince Harry’s Sentebale organisation amid a bitter internal row.

The watchdog confirmed on Thursday that it had opened a regulatory compliance case into the charity. It comes a week after the Duke of Sussex quit as patron and was later accused of “harassment and bullying at scale” by its chairwoman, Dr Sophie Chandauka.

Harry co-founded Sentebale with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho in 2006 to help children and young people living with HIV and Aids, but both royals stepped down in solidarity with the entire board of trustees last week amid a dispute with Dr. Chandauka.

At the time, Harry said he was “in shock” and “truly heartbroken” to be leaving the charity founded in his late mother’s honour.

Dr Chandauka then hit back, claiming they had unsuccessfully tried to force her out because she “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”.

The commission has confirmed that the charity was informed on Wednesday that a “regulatory compliance case to examine concerns raised about the charity” had been opened, and that it is in “direct contact with parties who have raised concerns”.

It will now “gather evidence and assess the compliance of the charity and trustees past and present with their legal duties”.

It added: “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 results of a regulatory compliance case can range from an official warning being given or a statutory inquiry being launched.

Following news of the probe, Harry released a statement declaring that he had “welcomed” the announcement.

“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,” he wrote.

Harry, speaking on behalf of the former trustees and patrons, said it would be a “robust inquiry” which “we fully expect 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.”

Meanwhile, Dr. Chandauka also issued a response in which she welcomed the news.

“We hope that, together, these actions will give the general public, our colleagues, partners, supporters, donors and the communities we serve comfort that Sentebale and its new board of trustees are acting appropriately to demonstrate and ensure good governance and a healthy culture for Sentebale to thrive,” she said.