Prince Harry and others criticised by charity watchdog for letting ‘damaging' Sentebale dispute play out in public
The commission also says the then trustees' failure to resolve disputes internally severely affected the charity's reputation and risked undermining public trust in charities more generally.
Pointing to 'a lack of clarity around role descriptions and internal policies' as the key cause for weaknesses in the management, the watchdog says the confusion inflamed tensions, which culminated in a row and mass resignations of trustees and both founding patrons, the commission found.
In March, Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, the co-founder, quit as patrons, saying the move was in support of the trustees – who also resigned – in a dispute with chairwoman Sophie 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 at the time.
Dr Chandauka said she had reported Sentebale's trustees to the Charity Commission and had taken legal steps to prevent her removal. She also made claims of misconduct.
Prince Seeiso and Prince Harry founded the organisation in 2006 in honour of Harry's mother, Diana, to help young people and children in southern Africa, particularly those with HIV and Aids.
The watchdog said the row began after 2023, when Sentebale's then trustees tried to implement a new fundraising strategy in the United States.
A serious dispute then emerged between Dr Chandauka, some trustees and Prince Harry.
Members of the regulator said that after conducting interviews and reviewing evidence, they found the delegation of certain powers to the chair, including consideration of an executive chair role, was a 'confusing, convoluted and poorly governed' process, with a lack of clearly defined delegations.
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The watchdog said the then trustees failed to have proper processes and policies to investigate internal complaints.
'More generally, a lack of clear policies contributed to the failure to resolve disputes,' they concluded.
And the commission said public statements made to the media and criticism made in television interviews, did not serve the charity's best interests.
It found no evidence of widespread or systemic bullying or harassment, including misogyny or racism, but acknowledged 'the strong perception of ill treatment felt by a number of parties to the dispute and the impact this may have had on them personally'.
Nor was there evidence of 'over-reach' by either the chair or Prince Harry, it said.
But the regulator concluded: 'The failure to clarify delegations within the charity to the chair, and the failure to have proper processes for internal complaints, both amount to mismanagement in the administration of the charity.'
The commission has issued Sentebale with a regulatory action plan, saying the charity should have a clearly defined patron role set out in writing.
The plan also includes improving complaints and whistleblowing procedures.
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The Irish Sun
15 hours ago
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Amy Lambert, 36, and her husband Richard Lambert, 37, had driven to Dorset on August 4 for a week's holiday with their two sons Harry and Tommy, 6. The family enjoyed the first five days of their holiday playing on Avon beach in Mudeford, Christchurch. But when the family-of-four visited the beach on August 9th, the mum-of-two said Harry ran over a 'hot' patch of sand while playing and began to scream. Company director Richard rushed Harry into the sea to try and cool his scorched feet down in the water, initially baffled by what had upset him. As Harry continued to cry, Amy rushed her son back up to the lodge where they were staying and ran his feet under the sink for 20 minutes. But when this offered no relief, the company director drove him to Royal Bournemouth Hospital in Bournemouth, Dorset, where she was told he had suffered surface burns on his feet. 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"I felt hopeless as there was nothing we could do [to stop the pain]. "[While I looked after Harry], my husband had gone back to the beach with my other son to tell the lifeguard. "The lifeguard then got a large bucket of water from the sea and poured it over it [the hot patch of sand]. "A huge cloud of smoke came off it as it was boiling. "As they poured more water on it, they discovered a fire pit underneath that had been dug into the sand. "It looked like normal sand and there was nothing to say there was a fire pit there at all. 7 Harry had his feet bandaged up after being taken to Royal Bournemouth Hospital in Dorset Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media 7 He suffered surface burns on his feet and left with a blister on every toe Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media 7 The toddler screamed for an hour because he was in that much pain Credit: Kennedy Newsand Media "It was heartbreaking to see him in pain as there was nothing I could do and I couldn't explain it to him either as he's so small. 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Irish Independent
6 days ago
- Irish Independent
Prince Harry and others criticised by charity watchdog for letting ‘damaging' Sentebale dispute play out in public
Regulator the Charity Commission, which investigated Sentebale for four months, has condemned 'all parties to the dispute for allowing it to play out publicly'. The commission also says the then trustees' failure to resolve disputes internally severely affected the charity's reputation and risked undermining public trust in charities more generally. Pointing to 'a lack of clarity around role descriptions and internal policies' as the key cause for weaknesses in the management, the watchdog says the confusion inflamed tensions, which culminated in a row and mass resignations of trustees and both founding patrons, the commission found. In March, Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, the co-founder, quit as patrons, saying the move was in support of the trustees – who also resigned – in a dispute with chairwoman Sophie 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 at the time. Dr Chandauka said she had reported Sentebale's trustees to the Charity Commission and had taken legal steps to prevent her removal. She also made claims of misconduct. Prince Seeiso and Prince Harry founded the organisation in 2006 in honour of Harry's mother, Diana, to help young people and children in southern Africa, particularly those with HIV and Aids. The watchdog said the row began after 2023, when Sentebale's then trustees tried to implement a new fundraising strategy in the United States. A serious dispute then emerged between Dr Chandauka, some trustees and Prince Harry. Members of the regulator said that after conducting interviews and reviewing evidence, they found the delegation of certain powers to the chair, including consideration of an executive chair role, was a 'confusing, convoluted and poorly governed' process, with a lack of clearly defined delegations. ADVERTISEMENT The watchdog said the then trustees failed to have proper processes and policies to investigate internal complaints. 'More generally, a lack of clear policies contributed to the failure to resolve disputes,' they concluded. And the commission said public statements made to the media and criticism made in television interviews, did not serve the charity's best interests. It found no evidence of widespread or systemic bullying or harassment, including misogyny or racism, but acknowledged 'the strong perception of ill treatment felt by a number of parties to the dispute and the impact this may have had on them personally'. Nor was there evidence of 'over-reach' by either the chair or Prince Harry, it said. But the regulator concluded: 'The failure to clarify delegations within the charity to the chair, and the failure to have proper processes for internal complaints, both amount to mismanagement in the administration of the charity.' The commission has issued Sentebale with a regulatory action plan, saying the charity should have a clearly defined patron role set out in writing. The plan also includes improving complaints and whistleblowing procedures.
Irish Examiner
27-07-2025
- Irish Examiner
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His clothes looked like they had been blown up like a balloon because he had so many protective coverings on. "That was just the way it was. It was a very frightening time for people. It took me by surprise how I dealt with it, because I was able to transcend the horrors of it all. I dealt with it in such way that I didn't have to live with the trauma.' Mr Leahy recalled why some members of the gay community had little faith in medical professionals. 'In those days, on the medical front at least, it was the predominant view that gay people were mentally ill. It was something you just kind of accepted at the time. "There was one man named Jack Coughlan who dealt with venereal diseases in Cork and he was very progressive but a lot of others were very repressive and conservative.' He said that families were often in denial about the cause of a loved one's death. 'It was a torturous situation for families. In the beginning they didn't want to know but love usually took over towards the end. Sometimes, the control of families was very negative. It was at that point that we were pushed out of the situation. "They wanted to deal with it in a conventional way. That's where you're kind of pushed out of this situation. The Irish solution was denial at all costs.' He recalls how a number of Irish people impacted by Aids had returned from the UK to die. 'The great majority of Irish people with Aids were in London. If you looked in any hospital about half of the people there with Aids were Irish. "The houses we had in Cork were paid for by the Health Board. They helped with funding but the situation wasn't acknowledged. There were some people from the Health Board who were outstanding but they weren't supported by the establishment.' The same, Arthur recalled, could be said for the Church. There were individuals within the Catholic community who were enormously supportive and very courageous but the establishment of the Church was very negative. It was, and still is, to a great extent, in terms of all these issues. The trailblazer said he has lived a very privileged life in comparison to many others. 'I've been very lucky in life. My life is very privileged. I don't feel like I've suffered or done anything particularly brave. I think about the challenges that people are facing around the world right now. They are really enormous. "We all know what is happening. I've spent a lot of time in Gaza and in the Middle East in the last number of years so I think about their struggles all the time.' (Left to right) Cork Drag Queens Liam Bee and Lucina Schynning at Cork Pride 2024. Arthur said that while Ireland has progressed beyond recognition, other parts of the world remain in a time warp. 'The change in Ireland is remarkable. It's hard to believe the extent of the change that has taken place. However, if you look around the world there is very little change. On the contrary, we are seeing things go backwards. "We tend not to recognise in a sense how lucky we are. So many changes have taken place, not just with the gay issue but with regard to other issues too.'
