Sentebale’s shock decision to sue Prince Harry under fire | Royal | News

A charity watchdog has questioned why Sentebale, the African AIDS and HIV charity set up by Prince Harry in 2006, has decided to sue the Duke of Sussex. The Charity Commission said it was seeking to understand how the planned legal action would “further their charity’s purposes”.

After it was involved in an investigation into the fallout between Prince Harry and the charity’s chairwoman, Dr Sophie Chandauka, last year, the regulator has said: “Legal action can present a significant risk to a charity’s beneficiaries, assets and reputation.” Trustees must ensure decisions are in “the best interests of the charity”, it added.

After the news that Prince Harry and former Sentebale trustee Mark Dyer will be sued by the charity, a spokesman for the Duke said the pair “reject these offensive and damaging claims”.

The Charity Commission previously raised concerns about internal disputes at Sentebale playing out in public eye. Last summer, a compliance case found no evidence of systemic bullying or harassment.

However, the commission’s chief executive, David Holdsworth, took a no-holds-barred approach to the issues playing out so visibly. He said: “Played out in the public eye, enabling a damaging dispute to harm the charity’s reputation, risk overshadowing its many achievements, and jeopardising the charity’s ability to deliver for the very beneficiaries it was created to serve.”

“Moving forward, I urge all parties not to lose sight of those who rely on the charity’s services,” he added.

Sentebale launched a defamation action against Prince Harry over what the charity said was a “co-ordinated adverse media campaign” which caused “operational disruption and reputational harm”.

In a statement following the news of the filing being shared publicly, the charity’s board of trustees and executive director said: “Sentebale has commenced legal proceedings in the High Court of England and Wales.

“The charity seeks the court’s intervention, protection and restitution following a co-ordinated adverse media campaign conducted since March 25, 2025 that has caused operational disruption and reputational harm to the charity, its leadership and its strategic partners.

“The proceedings have been brought against Prince Harry and Mark Dyer, identified through evidence as the architects of that adverse media campaign, which has had significant viral impact and triggered an onslaught of cyber-bullying directed at the charity and its leadership.

“Sentebale has experienced the adverse media campaign as false narratives circulated through the media about the charity and its leadership, attempts to undermine its relationships with staff, existing and prospective partners, and the forced diversion of leadership time and resources into managing a reputational crisis not of the charity’s making.”

A spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex and Mark Dyer responded and said: “As Sentebale’s co-founder and a founding trustee, they categorically reject these offensive and damaging claims.

“It is extraordinary that charitable funds are now being used to pursue legal action against the very people who built and supported the organisation for nearly two decades, rather than being directed to the communities the charity was created to serve.”

During an interview after Prince Harry stepped down from his board position, Dr Chandauka spoke about those who like to “play the victim card”.

She described the dispute as a “story of a woman who dared to blow the whistle about issues of poor governance, weak executive management, abuse of power, bullying, harassment, misogyny, misogynoir [discrimination against black women] – and the cover-up that ensued”.