More trouble for Prince Harry: "Harassment and bullying on a grand scale"
London - The dispute over Prince Harry's pet project "Sentebale" continues. The 40-year-old is accused of bullying and leadership failure.
After the royal resigned his patronage of the AIDS orphans' charity, the foundation's chairwoman Dr. Sophie Chandauka (47) has now followed up with further accusations.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Chandauka said: "Harry has released a damaging piece of news to the outside world with his public resignation without informing me. This is an example of harassment and bullying on a grand scale."
Harry's falling out with the British royal family five years ago was the reason for an exodus of donors, she said. In addition, the focus of the aid organization is outdated, as AIDS is no longer an automatic death sentence due to medical progress.
She herself had tried to convince the royal to make changes. Prince Harry had then tried to force her out of office. In this context, she also accused the royal of toxic behavior and leadership failure.
Harry and "Sentebale" co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho (58) had recently announced that they would be relinquishing their patronage of the AIDS foundation "until further notice". The relationship with Chandauka was "no longer salvageable", they wrote in a joint statement.
Major damage to the reputation of Prince Harry's charity
"What has happened is unimaginable. We are in shock because we had to do this," the two princes added to their statement. "It is devastating that the relationship between the organization's board of trustees and the CEO has been irreparably damaged and an intolerable situation has arisen."
The two had founded "Sentebale" in memory of Harry's late mother. Princess Diana (†36) died in a car accident in Paris in 1997. He was only twelve years old at the time. Almost ten years later, he founded the organization, whose name means "forget-me-not" in the Lesotho language.
"Sentebale" primarily supports AIDS orphans in Lesotho and Botswana. This includes week-long camps and support with medical care and education. The organization's image is likely to have suffered enormously as a result of the power struggle.