Claims of pressure, PR demands, and toxic fallout emerge after royals exit Sentebale
Fresh controversy has erupted around Prince Harry after the chair of Sentebale, the African charity he co-founded, claimed that tensions began when she refused to publicly support Meghan Markle—sparking a chain of events that ultimately led to a dramatic fallout.
Nichola Pease Chandauka, who has chaired Sentebale since 2023, told the Financial Times that the conflict started in April 2024 when she declined a request to use the charity as a platform to defend Meghan. “I said no. We cannot turn this charity into an extension of the Sussex PR machine,” she stated.
On Tuesday, both Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso stepped down as royal patrons of the charity, shortly after trustees failed in an attempt to oust Chandauka. The incident prompted the resignation of all five board members and has since drawn the attention of the UK Charity Commission, which is now conducting an inquiry.
Chandauka alleges she faced “disrespect, bullying, and intimidation” from those associated with the Sussex camp—claims that have been strongly denied. In March, she sought a legal injunction to prevent a vote on her removal, arguing that Prince Harry’s increasingly divisive public image, driven by his Netflix series and memoir, had made fundraising and leadership recruitment difficult.
She labelled the charity's main challenge as “the toxicity” surrounding its most high-profile patron, casting a spotlight on the ongoing tension between personal branding and charitable governance within royal-affiliated organisations.
