Prince Harry should follow Diana's example and use his power for good

Telegraph

3 days ago

There's a well-known adage that to create a booming business you should surround yourself with people smarter than you are. The same could be said of a successful royal – it ain't for nothing that the House of Windsor is known as The Firm.
What a shame nobody told Prince Harry. And if they did – and they most certainly did – he elected not to believe them. Or to take on board the fusty (which is to say tried, tested and never found wanting by Her Late Great Majesty his grandmother) motto 'never complain, never explain'.
But that's Harry all over, bless his tousled impetuosity, as we used to say until he stopped being a naughty, freckled lad and segued into a peevish 40-year-old with a grievance fixation aka an unattractive tendency to publicly blame everyone but himself for whatever happens.
This time round, it's the crisis at Sentebale, the charity he founded alongside Prince Seeiso, ruler of Lesotho, in 2006 to help young people and children in southern Africa, particularly those living with HIV and Aids.
It was born from a deeply emotional 2004 visit to landlocked Lesotho, where a quarter of the population is HIV-positive, when he was 19. The name Sentebale means 'forget-me-not' and was chosen as a tribute to his late mother, Diana.
He was genuinely moved and wholly dedicated, returning to the country many times, highlighting the plight of a generation and attracting wealthy donors with an annual polo cup that has raised more than $13m (almost £10m).
When he left royal life, he took Sentebale with him, gifting it his 50 per cent share of the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fund and $1.5m of the proceeds of his memoir, Spare.
Along with the Invictus Games it is – was – his greatest legacy. Yet in March, after an internal squabble, he chose to walk away from it. Not in dignified silence but denigrating it as he did so.
If ever he needed a wiser head to advise and guide him, it was then. But Harry, a brave Apache helicopter pilot who completed two operational tours in Afghanistan, is not a man to hold back and see how things pan out. An asset in the theatre of conflict, not so much in real life.
The Charity Commission has just published the sober conclusions of its investigation into the organisation in which Harry's behaviour is criticised. But instead of taking it on the chin, he has immediately hit out at the findings. Of course he has.
The roots of the Sentebale split lie in a really rather banal-sounding attempt by trustees to introduce a new fundraising strategy in 2023, the year Sophie Chandauka became chairman of the board.
This led to a dispute and when a number of trustees resigned in protest, Harry and Seeiso stepped down as its patrons in support.
By then, the atmosphere had soured to the point where Chandauka started levelling accusations of bullying, misogyny and misogynoir, that is prejudice against black women.
Ouch. If that particular response to adversity sounds familiar, close to home even, I couldn't possibly comment because I haven't the time or indeed the moolah to see Harry in court.
Anyway, Harry and his co-founder issued a statement describing their decision as 'devastating' and adding they could see 'no other path forward as the result of our loss in trust and confidence in the chair of the board'.
She in turn went on television to accuse Harry of being involved in a cover-up of the bullying claims and describe him as a 'toxic' brand whose move to the US had impacted the charity negatively and seen a drop in donors.
Yikes. Sticks and stones may break bones and all that, but allegations about Megxit are a red rag to a particularly bull-headed duke who will not countenance criticism on that front. I could speculate as to why he's quite so thin-skinned about it but given his litigiousness, again, I couldn't possibly…
Towards the end of their working relationship, it was reported that Harry sent an 'unpleasant and imperious' message to Chandauka after she declined to issue a public statement defending Meghan following a mishap at a Sentebale event.
Chandauka responded that she had refused because the charity 'cannot be an extension of the Sussexes'. Lord only knows how he took that reproof.
As it is, the Charity Commission found no evidence of systemic bullying, misogynoir et al by Harry or anyone else.
But it did criticise all parties, Harry included, for (and I paraphrase) ignobly scrapping in public, being too damn stubborn to resolve the issues and generally undermining not just the reputation of Sentebale but public trust in charities with their miserable display of personal animus and snarky back-biting.
Or, as David Holdsworth, chief executive of the Charity Commission, said, rather less colourfully: 'Passion for a cause is the bedrock of volunteering and charity, delivering positive impact for millions of people here at home and abroad every day.
'However, in the rare cases when things go wrong, it is often because that very passion has become a weakness rather than a strength.'
That Chandauka remains in post is highly significant. Harry is said to be 'utterly devastated' by what's happened but I wonder will he grasp that being boss of a charity is actually much harder than he thinks?
Sure, he can lead with heart, purpose and commitment to making a lasting impact. Especially on the polo field. He can also charm when he wants to.
But a good chief executive needs to understand budgets and cash flow, know their way around a financial report and demonstrate all-round financial literacy. Accountability is another biggie which is self-evidently not Harry's strong suit. Nor am I convinced he's au fait with all the legal and regulatory responsibilities either, but I could be wrong.
As a patron he was perfect; glad-handing the wealthy, showing compassion, caring. In all her charity work, Diana knew how to use her unique power for good. She never overstepped the mark or became the story.
Harry would do well to remember he is at his shining best when he is being his mother's son.