Prince Harry, who founded the charity Sentebale in honour of his late mother Princess Diana, along with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, issued a scathing statement about the damage this row has caused the “most vulnerable children”.
On Wednesday, the UK’s charity watchdog cleared the Duke of Sussex of accusations of bullying which were made by charity chair, Dr Sophie Chandauka.
“The Charity Commission has today announced its findings,” the spokesperson for Prince Harry told the media. “Unsurprisingly, the Commission makes no findings of wrongdoing in relation to Sentebale’s Co-Founder and former Patron, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex.”
Referring to Dr Chandauka’s accusations about “widespread bullying, harassment or misogyny and misogynoir” at the charity, they also “found no evidence”.
“Despite all that, their report falls troublingly short in many regards, primarily the fact that the consequences of the current Chair’s actions will not be borne by her – but by the children who rely on Sentebale’s support,” the spokesperson continued.
“Sentebale has been a deeply personal and transformative mission for Prince Harry, established to serve some of the most vulnerable children in Lesotho and Botswana.
“For 19 years, its dedicated staff and steadfast supporters have provided vital care to over 100,000 young people across southern Africa, including young people living with HIV/AIDS and those facing mental health challenges.
As custodians of this once brilliant charity, Prince Seeiso, Prince Harry and the former Board of Trustees helped grow Sentebale from the seed of an idea to – like its namesake – a flowering force for good.”
In the end, the representative shared that Harry plans to focus on finding new ways to continue supporting the children of Lesotho and Botswana.
Meanwhile, the Charity Commission has issued a Regulatory Action Plan mapping out the next set of steps for the current trustees to take in order to implement an internal dispute policy, improve the charity’s complaints and whistleblowing procedures, and to establish clearer processes for delegating authority on behalf of the charity.
