Prince Harry Seriously Offended by His Former Charity’s ‘Poor Taste’ Comment About Princess Diana—He’s ‘Emotionally Devastated’
Prince Harry is defending his mother’s memory. A recent dispute involving Harry’s former charity has left the royal pushing back on a narrative that seemingly included Princess Diana’s name out of nowhere.
This all comes after the Duke of Sussex announced in March 2025 that he and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho were stepping down as patrons of Sentebale, a Southern African nonprofit they co-founded almost 20 years ago.
Related: Who inherited what from Princess Diana?
“With heavy hearts, we have resigned from our roles as patrons of the organization until further notice, in support of and solidarity with the board of trustees who have had to do the same,” the two said in a joint statement at the time. “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.”
Their departures from the organization came after a row between Sentebale’s board of trustees and chairwoman Dr. Sophie Chandauka. The latter sued the trustees after being asked to step down. The organization told People that Dr. Chandauka placed the organization under financial strain. Meanwhile, Dr. Chandauka alleged that she was asked to step down after she “dared to blow the whistle about issues of poor governance, weak executive management, abuse of power, bullying, harassment, misogyny, and misogynoir.”
An investigation concluded with a Charity Commission’s report stating there was no evidence of “over-reach” nor was there any “widespread or systemic bullying or harassment, including misogyny or misogynoir at the charity.” After the report, Chanduka released a statement saying, “Despite the recent turbulence, we will always be inspired by the vision of our founders, Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso, who established Sentebale in memory of their precious mothers, Princess Diana and Queen Mamohato.”
That last part seems to be what Prince Harry took offense to. A source close to Harry told the Telegraph that bringing up Diana’s name was out of line. “For Sophie Chandauka to have invoked Princess Diana’s memory in her own defense was in the poorest possible taste,” the source said. “She’s got what she wants, which is control of the charity, but unfortunately, the people who suffer most out of all of this…are the children of Lesotho and Botswana.”
Furthermore, a source close to Harry made clear how upsetting the findings were for him. “Both Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso are devastated by what has effectively been a hostile takeover by Sophie Chandauka,” a source said. “This was Prince Seeiso and Prince Harry’s life work.” The source continued, “They established it 19 years ago and in that time put in blood, sweat, and tears and their own money into building this charity up to what it was: a multi-million pound charity that delivered nothing but good for the beneficiary community that is supported in Lesotho and Botswana.”
According to the Telegraph, Harry is “emotionally devastated” and “drained” after losing the battle for control of the charity. He is, however, said to be exploring new avenues to make a difference. Like Princess Diana would.
