Prince Harry has resigned from the African AIDS charity he established nearly two decades ago in honor of his late mother, Princess Diana. The Duke’s decision to resign follows a clash between the trustees and chair of its board, per the BBC.
Harry, the Duke of Sussex, co-founded Sentebale in 2006, an organization aimed at helping people in southern Africa regions Lesotho and Botswana living with HIV and AIDS.
On Wednesday, in joint statement with Sentebale co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, Harry said it is “with heavy hearts” they would resign from their roles within the organization “until further notice,” per The Independent.
The statement continued, “It is devastating that the relationship between the charity’s trustees and the chair of the board broke down beyond repair, creating an untenable situation.”
“We are in shock that we have to do this, but we have a continued responsibility to Sentebale’s beneficiaries, so we will be sharing all of our concerns with the Charity Commission as to how this came about.”
The relationship between the board of trustees and chairwoman Sophie Chandauka collapsed when the trustees lost “trust and confidence” in her abilities and asked her to resign, per The New York Times. Chandauka responded with legal action.
Chandauka said in a statement she filed a lawsuit in Britain and reported the trustees to Britain’s Charity Commission to “blow the whistle” on poor leadership within the organization, noting issues of mismanagement, bullying, misogyny and harassment, per The Guardian.
“Everything I do at Sentebale is in pursuit of the integrity of the organization, its mission, and the young people we serve,” Chandauka’s statement said per The Guardian. “My actions are guided by the principles of fairness and equitable treatment for all, regardless of social status or financial means.”
The Charity Commission told the BBC it was ”aware of concerns" about the governance of Sentebale and is “assessing the issues to determine the appropriate regulatory steps.”
Harry and Seeiso said former trustees Timothy Boucher, Mark Dyer, Audrey Kgosidintsi, Kelello Lerotholi and Damian West “acted in the best interest of the charity” when asking Chandauka to resign from her position, per The Independent.
They continued, “We thank all the trustees for their service over the years and are truly heartbroken they’ve had to follow through with this act.”
“Although we may no longer be Patrons, we will always be its founders, and we will never forget what this charity is capable of achieving when it is in the right care.”