Prince Harry plans to resign from the charity he established almost two decades back following an 'unthinkable' dispute originating internally, as reports suggest.

Sentebale, which the Duke of Sussex Established in collaboration with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho in 2006, this organization aims to support African orphans. It focuses on addressing poverty and HIV/AIDS issues in Lesotho and Botswana.

Last year, the prince traveled to Africa to back their initiatives and in December confidently participated in an event held in New York. Harry established Sentebale in honor of his deceased mother. Princess Diana .

However, Harry has now stepped down in support of his co-founder as the entire board of trustees resigned following "irreparable damage" to the relationship between the charity's trustees and the board chairman, leading to an unmanageable circumstance.

Last year, Sophie Chandauka, a lawyer originally from Zimbabwe, was named as the chair of the board of trustees.

Reports indicate that the trustees were strongly displeased with the decision and desired her resignation, leading her to file a lawsuit.

The conflict apparently arose after deciding to relocate its fundraising efforts to Africa, leading several prominent members to distance themselves from the organization.

In a shared announcement viewed by The Times However, without an official release, Harry and Prince Seeiso penned: 'The events that unfolded are unimaginable. It comes as a surprise that we find ourselves having to take this step.'

'Nearly 20 years ago, we founded Sentebale in honour of our mothers. Sentebale means "forget-me-not" in Sesotho, the local language of Lesotho, and it's what we've always promised for the young people we've served through this charity.'

The statement went on: "There is no change today. Regrettably, we have stepped down from our positions as patrons of the organization indefinitely, standing in support and unity with the board of trustees who have also been compelled to resign. It is heartbreaking that the bond between the charity’s trustees and the board chair has irreparably fractured, leading to an unsustainable scenario."

In his statement, Prince Harry supported the trustees, stating that they "acted in the best interest" when requesting Chandauka’s resignation.

"We express our gratitude to all the trustees for their years of dedicated service and we are genuinely devastated that they have felt compelled to proceed with this action," the statement said.

The previous trustees — Timothy Boucher, Mark Dyer, Audrey Kgosidintsi, Kelello Lerotholi, and Damian West — stated that they collectively decided to step down due to what was described as a challenging choice. Despite their resignation, they expressed deep pride in having backed the groundbreaking efforts initiated by the founding patrons Prince Seeiso and Prince Harry.

"Today’s decision is utterly devastating for each and every one of us, yet we find no alternative route ahead due to the erosion of trust and faith in the chairman of the board," the statement said.

Our top concern has consistently been—and will remain—the welfare of the charity. It’s profoundly disheartening that the deterioration in relations culminated in the chair filing a lawsuit against the organization. This legal action aims to prevent us from removing her from office after she declined our request for her resignation.

We couldn't in good faith let Sentebale shoulder that legal and financial responsibility, leaving us with no choice but to step down from our roles.

This was not an optional decision, but rather something we felt compelled to do in order to take care of the charity.

Chandauka has declined to resign, which has led to the stepping down of the charity's trustees, including Mark Dyer, a long-time companion of Prince Harry.

A representative from Sentebale stated that the organization has not been informed about the Prince's resignation.

A representative from the Charity Commission informed the Mail, "We can verify that we have received concerns regarding the management practices of Sentebale. Currently, we are evaluating these matters to ascertain the suitable regulatory actions."

After five years in the position, Richard Miller stepped down from his role as chief executive of Sentabale.

His exit followed that of Baroness Chalker, the overseas development minister, who resigned from her position as a director the previous month.

This represents another setback for the Duke of Sussex’s organization, following the departure of advertising mogul Johnny Hornby. After serving as a trustee for 11 years, with five of those years as chairman, he stepped down from his position.

The Mail on Sunday subsequently reported that Andrew Tucker, who Harry fondly refers to as 'Tucks,' resigned from his high-ranking role at Sentebale following nearly ten years of service.

A representative from Sentebale stated that they conducted a 'board restructuring' aimed at 'confirming their strategy to reallocate key positions closer to most of the team and programs based in southern Africa.'

We are delighted to announce the reshaping of our Board effective from March 25, 2025. This change will bring aboard specialists equipped with the necessary skills and connections to expedite Sentebale’s transformative initiatives as previously disclosed last year.

In April 2024, Sentebale indicated its transformation from a developmental organization aimed at tackling the effects of HIV/AIDS on children and young individuals in Lesotho and Botswana, to an entity focusing on youth health, economic prosperity, and climate resilience across Southern Africa.

The 'Return to Southern Africa (RTSA) campaign we ran in October 2024 for potential international donors showcased Sentebale’s capabilities in these areas.

The appointment of Carmel Gaillard as our Interim Executive Director, based in Johannesburg, was announced following the RTSA in December 2024.

'This followed Sentebale’s confirmation of its strategy to redeploy senior roles to be proximate to most of the team and programmes in Southern Africa. The recalibration of the Board is, therefore, part of Sentebale’s ambitious transformation agenda.'

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