Harry relieved charity watchdog has opened Sentebale case after ‘blatant lies’

The Duke of Sussex said he is relieved that a regulator has opened a case into a charity he founded, hitting out at “blatant lies” amid a boardroom battle within the organisation.

Harry described the past week’s events, which have included the chairwoman of the Sentebale charity levelling accusations of bullying and harassment in a bid to remove her, as “heartbreaking to witness”.

The charities watchdog announced on Thursday it had escalated its investigations into “concerns raised” about the charity.

The Charity Commission said it had opened a regulatory compliance case into Sentebale, a week after it emerged Harry – who founded the charity alongside Prince Seeiso of Lesotho – had quit as patron.

Several trustees have left the charity in a dispute with its chairwoman, Sophie Chandauka, having requested her resignation.

Harry and Prince Seeiso backed the departing trustees and announced they had resigned as patrons until further notice.

Responding to the news of the commission’s case being opened, Harry said: “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.

“No one suffers more than the beneficiaries of Sentebale itself.

“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.”

The compliance case is not the same as a statutory inquiry, but rather allows the watchdog to “gather evidence and assess the compliance of the charity and trustees past and present with their legal duties” and responsibilities under charity law.

Such cases can lead to a range of outcomes, including an official warning being given to a charity or a statutory inquiry being opened, which can give the commission additional powers of investigation.

Ms Chandauka said she welcomes the opening of the case and hopes the outcome can “comfort” the public that the charity and its new trustees are “acting appropriately”.

She said an “internal governance review” had begun last year, and that those findings would be shared with the commission.

She added: “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.”

Sentebale executive director Carmel Gaillard said her team is committed to co-operating with the commission’s case, insisting that “transparency and accountability are central to how we operate”.

In a previous statement, Ms Chandauka alleged there had been “poor governance, weak executive management, abuse of power, bullying, harassment, misogyny, misogynoir”.

She also appeared to criticise Harry for going to the press and for what she described as playing “the victim card”.

Furthermore, at the weekend Ms Chandauka claimed the duke had tried to “eject” her from the charity through “bullying” and “harassment”.

A source close to the former trustees and patrons of Sentebale dismissed Ms Chandauka’s comments as a “publicity stunt”.

The dispute, according to a report by The Times last week, arose over a decision to focus fundraising in Africa.

A separate report by The Daily Telegraph said Harry had been accused of sending an “unpleasant” and “imperious” message to Ms Chandauka after she failed to publicly quash rumours of a rift with his wife.

During a prize-giving ceremony at a Sentebale fundraising polo match in Miami last year, the Duchess of Sussex appeared to choreograph who stood next to Harry, and in an awkward moment Ms Chandauka moved from beside the duke to Meghan’s side ducking under the trophy.

The Telegraph claimed a member of Harry’s team asked Ms Chandauka to issue a statement to quash any rumours about tensions with Meghan, but when she refused the duke reportedly contacted her directly.

The newspaper alleged Harry demanded she “explain herself” and claimed sources said the note was “unpleasant” in tone and used “imperious” language.