Prince Harry has launched a joint assertion asserting his choice to step down as patron of his charity, Sentebale, which he based practically 20 years in the past with Prince Seeiso.
The charity goals to assist individuals in Lesotho and Botswana residing in poverty and people affected by HIV and Aids.
Within the assertion, Harry and Seeiso described the breakdown within the relationship between the charity’s trustees and the chair of the board as “unthinkable” and creating an “untenable state of affairs”.
The assertion learn: “Practically 20 years in the past, we based Sentebale in honour of our moms. Sentebale means ‘forget-me-not’ in Sesotho, the native language of Lesotho, and it’s what we’ve all the time promised for the younger individuals we’ve served by means of this charity.”
The assertion continued: “Right this moment isn’t any completely different. With heavy hearts, now we have resigned from our roles as patrons of the organisation till additional discover, in assist of and solidarity with the board of trustees who’ve needed to do the identical.”
The row is centered across the chair of the board of trustees, Sophie Chandauka, and a call to focus fundraising largely in Africa.
In response to the Occasions, Chandauka is suing the trustees after they questioned whether or not she was greatest positioned to chair the board.
The princes’ assertion sided with the departing trustees, saying: “These trustees acted in one of the best curiosity of the charity in asking the chair to step down, whereas holding the wellbeing of employees in thoughts. In flip, she sued the charity to stay on this voluntary place, additional underscoring the damaged relationship.”
The assertion concluded: “We thank all of the trustees for his or her service over time and are actually heartbroken they’ve needed to comply with by means of with this act. What’s transpired is unthinkable. We’re in shock that now we have to do that, however now we have a continued duty to Sentebale’s beneficiaries, so we might be sharing all of our considerations with the Charity Fee as to how this happened.”
The Charity Fee confirmed that an investigation was underway into considerations in regards to the governance of the organisation.
Chandauka has refused to step down, and several other board members, together with Timothy Boucher, Mark Dyer, Audrey Kgosidintsi, Kelello Lerotholi, and Damian West, have additionally resigned as trustees.
A spokesman for Sentebale stated that the charity had not acquired discover of Prince Harry’s or Prince Seeiso’s resignation, including that the “recalibration” of the board was “a part of Sentebale’s bold transformation agenda”.
The Duke of Sussex final traveled to Africa in 2024 to assist the charity and attended an occasion for the charity in New York in December.
