Prince Harry won’t return to ‘tarnished’ Sentebale Charity after explosive feud

Prince Harry will not be returning to Sentebale, the HIV/AIDS charity he co-founded in Africa in tribute to his late mother, Princess Diana, following a bitter and highly public collapse marked by accusations of bullying and a deepening financial crisis, according to sources.

The Duke of Sussex helped establish Sentebale in Lesotho in 2006, but insiders now say any prospect of his return has been completely ruled out.

The charity has been engulfed in turmoil since Harry stepped down as patron in March after a very public falling out with its chair, Sophie Chandauka.

The dispute escalated dramatically, with Chandauka accusing Harry of bullying, racism and misogyny, allegations he has denied, before the duke walked away from the organisation entirely.

As the conflict spilled into headlines, donations reportedly dried up, senior figures resigned en masse, and the Charity Commission issued a sharply critical report into the charity’s governance and overall condition.

Sources close to Sentebale told The Times: "The idea that Harry was ever going to return has been completely extinguished.
"There's absolutely no way now. It's all too tarnished."

The fallout has been severe. Redundancies have swept through the organisation worldwide.

In Botswana, reports suggest that around one in five staff members were let go, including country director Ketlogetswe Montshiwa. Sources there described the charity as "not working at all", citing a "real cash flow problem", while operations in Lesotho were said to be "getting into the red".

In London, all but one staff member were made redundant in August. Meanwhile, local reports in Lesotho claimed the charity’s headquarters had been "effectively mothballed", a claim Sentebale disputes, insisting the centre "remains fully operational".

The cost-cutting drive was aimed at reducing expenses by £1 million, as financial filings revealed the charity’s reserves had plunged dangerously low. By December 2024, Sentebale reportedly had just £207,000 in the bank once debts were accounted for, down from £1.5 million only 16 months earlier.

The charity acknowledged this was "close to [the] minimum reserves level", warning in its annual accounts that programmes could shrink by the end of 2026 unless new funding is secured.

The crisis began unfolding in 2024, when Chandauka faced scrutiny over a £400,000 consultancy bill that board members allegedly felt delivered little benefit. Trustees asked her to step down as chair, but instead she responded by filing a complaint with the Charity Commission, accusing colleagues of bullying, misogyny and racism.

Soon after, trustees resigned en masse, describing Chandauka’s leadership style as "almost dictatorial".

Prince Harry and his fellow co-founder, Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, then resigned as patrons, saying the situation had become "untenable".

Chandauka subsequently took her case to the media, publicly accusing Harry of attempting to "eject" her through "bullying" and "harassment". Harry denied the claims. The Charity Commission later criticised both sides for allowing the dispute "to play out publicly", stating that the row had "severely impacted the charity's reputation".

Sentebale’s problems were compounded by the loss of its flagship fundraiser, the Sentebale Polo Cup, which ended two years ago. The event had previously raised around £740,000 annually.

Despite the charity’s financial struggles, staff reportedly received a 6.5 per cent pay rise, lifting the chief executive’s salary to £138,267 a year.

In response, Sentebale told The Times that it is "financially stable and able to continue operating as planned, with robust strategic plans for 2025 and 2026 that remain unchanged", following an audit conducted in September.

The charity also said redundancies in Botswana had been planned as far back as 2023, before the leadership crisis erupted, and were approved in stages in early 2024 "with full country director participation".

In its annual report, Sentebale insisted it has "remained on track to directly serve at least 78,000 children and young people across Lesotho and Botswana [in 2025], matching or exceeding its 2024 impact".

Even so, insiders say the damage done by the feud, and Harry’s dramatic exit, has left the charity permanently altered, with the duke’s return now firmly off the table.