Prince Harry is finding himself in deeper hot water after the chairperson of an African charity he co-founded accused the royal of orchestrating a bullying and harassment campaign to try to force her out.
On Tuesday, The Telegraph reported that the Duke of Sussex allegedly sent an “unpleasant” message to Dr. Sophie Chandauka, the chair of his Sentebale charity, after she refused to publicly defend Meghan Markle following an awkward exchange. The encounter in question took place at a charity polo match in Florida last April.
According to the outlet, the 40-year-old reportedly fired a message to Chandauka demanding that she “explain herself” after she refused to publicly defend his wife and squash any rumors of tensions between her and the Duchess of Sussex.
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Sources told the outlet that the note was “unpleasant” in tone and used “imperious language” that left Chandauka feeling “taken aback.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Archewell, which handles the offices of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as well as Chandauka for comment.
In a video clip circulated on social media, Chandauka tried to pose next to the duke as he held a trophy in one hand and had his other wrapped around Meghan. But the duchess appeared to gesture that Chandauka move farther from Harry, forcing her to duck under the silver cup to get into the photo.
A source told The Telegraph that Meghan spent much of the day chatting with her friend, Serena Williams, occasionally asking the organizers of the event to bring her champagne. However, the outlet claimed that the Sussexes were “furious” over how the brief encounter with Chandauka appeared.
On Sunday, Chandauka took several shots at Harry, claiming that the royal’s abrupt resignation from the charity blindsided her and was “an example of harassment and bullying at scale.”
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Chandauka claimed to Sky News that Harry’s Netflix deal interfered with a scheduled fundraiser and that Meghan, in particular, became a source of friction.
Chandauka said a polo fundraiser scheduled in Florida almost fell apart when Harry asked to bring a camera crew along to film him for a Netflix series about the sport. She said the venue’s costs skyrocketed when it became a commercial venture, forcing them to scramble to find another host, which Harry arranged through his connections.
She noted that Meghan’s surprise appearance at the event led to the awkward moment during the trophy presentation after the match.
“The international press captured this, and there was a lot of talk about the duchess and the choreography onstage and whether she should have been there and her treatment of me,” Chandauka said.
She said she rejected Harry’s request that she issue a statement in support of Meghan because “we cannot be an extension of the Sussexes.”
A source close to the production noted that the production crew, which was already filming the documentary about polo with Harry, reached out to Chandauka to request permission to film at the event.
When Chandauka learned that the cost to use the original venue had increased following the request, Harry’s pal, polo player Nacho Figueras, who was also in the documentary, helped secure a different venue through a connection that he and Harry shared, they said. The team also connected the charity with at least one additional player who paid to participate in the event.
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The source argued that in the end, Sentebale had a more favorable arrangement and was positively featured in the documentary, which further helped highlight its efforts.
Chandauka further claimed there was a significant drop in donors after Harry and Meghan left royal duties in 2020 and moved to California.
She claimed that the drama surrounding the split between the Sussexes and the royal family had become a major risk to the charity. And as tensions with the Sussexes mounted, Chandauka claimed she had been a victim of “this unleashing of the Sussex machine,” referring to Harry’s public relations team.
Chandauka claimed Harry wanted to “eject” her from Sentebale, stating, “This went on for months, it went on through bullying, harassment,” as quoted by The Times.
“When that failed, Prince Harry and his team started to brief sponsors against me and the charity because that is a sure way of getting me out if it’s seen as though I’m not being successful in my fundraising efforts,” she added.
According to The Times, Chandauka also claimed that Harry had “effectively pushed through” the immediate appointment of a new board member without consulting her.
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“Everybody is shocked and quiet,” she said. “But this is what happens when the prince is in the room, and no one has the courage to speak.”
Chaundauka said her relationship with Harry had generally been “fantastic.” Still, there were “some individuals on the board who thought they could get away with mistreating a woman.”
Harry cited a breakdown in the relationship between board members and Chandauka when he resigned as patron of the charity he co-founded nearly 20 years ago in memory of his late mother, Princess Diana.
Harry and co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho said in a joint statement that they quit “with heavy hearts” as patrons in support of the trustees in their dispute with Chandauka.
“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,” the princes said. “In turn, she sued the charity to remain in this voluntary position, further underscoring the broken relationship.”
A source familiar with events countered Chandauka’s claims, noting that Harry and Seeiso sent a resignation letter to the chair and trustees on March 10. A source close to the trustees and patrons noted that they expected what they described as this publicity stunt and remained adamant in their resignation for the charity’s sake.
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A friend of Harry’s told The Times that the prince was “distraught,” while another “long-serving trustee” called Chandauka’s claims “total bollocks.”
A source familiar with the charity and trustee’s plans also told the outlet that each former trustee had been asked to submit a report to the Charity Commission. One report included concerns about Chandauka’s governance and details her “manipulation of minutes to endorse her false claims of bullying and misogyny.”
A source close to Chandauka denied the claim.
Sources also told the outlet that they were worried about the charity’s future because available funds had fallen below its $776,283 safety threshold since Chandauka, a Zimbabwe-born lawyer, was appointed in 2023.
A source close to Chandauka confirmed the figure to The Times but also pointed out that Sentebale was also awaiting the $1.75 million that had been pledged.
According to The Times, Harry has helped raise nearly $16 million for Sentebale and has donated more than $1 million of the proceeds from his memoir “Spare” to the charity.
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A friend told the outlet that Harry hopes to be involved with Sentebale again if Chandauka leaves.
“What Harry has made clear is he’s not walking away from Sentebale — he is just not currently able to fulfill his role,” the pal explained.
“If there’s a choice for them to carry on in the way they were, then he’d want that. Harry’s commitment to the people and the issues is ongoing. People will just need to look at the facts, which the Charity Commission will do, and the facts haven’t come out yet.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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