Head of Prince Harry's charity Sentebale resigns over push for locally-led leadership

The Duke of Sussex has thanked the former head of his charity Sentebale for his "compassionate leadership and unwavering commitment" following his resignation.

CEO Richard Miller will step down after five years at the helm of the organisation, which helps children affected by extreme poverty and HIV/AIDS in Lesotho, Botswana and Malawi.

Miller is the fourth person to resign from the charity, following the departure of three others in recent months.

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Sentebale was co-founded by Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho in 2006 following the duke's gap year there in 2004.

Its name means 'forget me not' and was inspired by Princess Diana's favourite flower.

The charity was inspired by Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso's mothers, women who used their platforms to raise awareness about difficult subjects and brought hope and help to vulnerable communities.

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The resignation of Miller, who lives in London, was confirmed on Sentebale's website on Monday and is part of a bigger move to base the most critical senior roles in southern Africa.

The change would enable the organisation to shift greater executive decision-making power to the southern Africa region, the charity said.

In a joint statement, Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso said: "Leading into our 20th anniversary, our organisation will be locally led, aligning with the global movement towards fostering greater local agency and ownership.

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"This shift reflects our continued commitment to being guided by voices from within the region we serve."

They thanked Miller for his five years of service.

"Sentebale has greatly benefited from Richard's extensive expertise in international development.

"We are deeply grateful for his compassionate leadership and unwavering commitment to empowering children, young people, and their communities across Southern Africa.

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"We sincerely thank Richard for his pivotal role in steering our organisation toward this important evolution."

Miller will be replaced by Carmel Gaillard, a Johannesburg-based development leader, in the newly-created Interim Executive Director role.

Miller said: "I welcome this change and believe it is an exciting way forward that will help unlock new sources of funding and energy for the organisation, ensuring it is best placed for future success.

"It is the logical next step for Sentebale, and the time is right for this shift to local leadership. Carmel is an incredible asset to position Sentebale further as a leader in the region."

Prince Harry travelled to Lesotho for events with Sentebale in October for the first time since 2018.

It is believed the decision was made then when working out how best to support the next generation of young people in southern Africa.

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Last week, Prince Harry was in New York to celebrate the launch of a fundraising exhibition for Sentebale.

Weeks earlier Baroness Lynda Chalker stepped down as a director after 18 years with the charity, while Johnny Hornby resigned after 11 years as a trustee, five of which he spent as chairman.

Andrew Tucker also stepped back from his senior position at Sentebale after almost a decade.

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