Prince Harry considering setting up new charity after Sentebale row

By India McTaggart

The Duke of Sussex is considering setting up a rival African charity following the Sentebale racism row.

Allies of Prince Harry suggested he is keen to "continue to support the children of Lesotho and Botswana" after he was forced to resign from the organisation he co-founded in the region in 2006.

Although no decisions have been made about what his continued support might look like since he is no longer involved in Sentebale, he is said to be "examining his options" and will make an announcement in due course.

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"He may well choose to just support existing charities operating in the same space in the region or he may choose to set up something new completely," a source close to the Duke said.

The development comes after the Charity Commission ruled on Wednesday that Sentebale's chairwoman, Sophie Chandauka, could remain in post following a public clash which forced the Duke and other trustees to resign.

'His life's work'

The watchdog said it had found problems with the charity's governance and rebuked "all parties" involved for allowing the row to play out in this way, but the ruling that she could remain in place was a bitter blow to the Duke.

Prince Harry helped create the charity almost 20 years ago to continue his late mother's work supporting children with HIV/AIDS in Lesotho and Botswana. Allies have called it "his life's work".

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Following the watchdog's report, they said Harry's work had been destroyed by Ms Chandauka's "hostile takeover" of the charity, which they said had been her intention from the start.

The Duke and his co-founder, Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, resigned in March along with other members of the board of trustees after accusing the chairwoman of mismanagement and calling on her to step down.

In turn, she claimed to have been a victim of bullying, harassment and misogynoir – discrimination against Black women.

The watchdog's investigation into the charity found no evidence of overreach by Prince Harry as patron, as well as no evidence of "widespread or systemic bullying or harassment, including misogyny or misogynoir".

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The first sign of trouble brewing had come in April last year, following an "awkward" exchange Ms Chandauka had with the Duchess of Sussex at a polo match in Miami.

Problems arose at the end of the match when the winning players and their partners gathered on the podium for a post-match photograph with the trophy.

Ms Chandauka explained that after a clip of her interaction with Meghan, in which they discussed where to stand on stage, went viral, the Duke invited her to make a public statement to clarify the situation –an invitation she declined.

Sources close to the incident, however, have insisted that the Duchess "wanted Sophie to be front and centre of the picture" – contrast to what has been previously alleged. "Claims at the time suggested an awkward moment, which it wasn't at all," they said.

The source added that "reverting to type," Ms Chandauka sensed an "opportunity to create further tension" and so did nothing to clarify the interaction, saying: "It served this strategy of sowing discourse and division."

On Wednesday, Ms Chandauka said that the public spat had caused "incalculable damage" to the charity and laid the blame on "the unexpected adverse media campaign that was launched by those who resigned".

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In his own response to the report, the Duke hit back by saying the charity commission's investigation had fallen "troublingly short" as he insisted that he would "now focus on finding new ways to continue supporting the children of Lesotho and Botswana".

He had previously donated £1.2m from the proceeds of his 2023 autobiography, Spare, to the charity, among other donations and drives over the last 19 years.

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