Born in Zimbabwe, lawyer, activist and advocate Sophie Chandauka now chairs the board of Sentebale. This charitable venture was established by Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho. Appointed to her new position last year, Chandauka had served on the board from 2008 to 2014. In recent months, she made the courageous decision to sue the charity’s trustees. This follow-up came after they publicly called her unfit for the chair position. The discord stems from three main problems. One big sticking point has been a controversial request for Chandauka to publicly defend Meghan Markle, which Chandauka did not want to do.
The bitter leadership tussle at Sentebale, which started in April 2024, has quickly turned into a nasty court battle. Chandauka claims to have “blown the whistle” on issues of abuse of power, bullying, sexism, and racism within the organization. Though these accusations have yet to be confirmed, they underscore the serious antagonism between her and the trustees. Chandauka’s refusal to comply with a request from Prince Harry’s team to support Meghan Markle publicly is believed to have fanned the flames of discord.
Chandauka’s ongoing legal fight against the trustees includes her reporting them to the UK Charity Commission. Her surprise decision is being hailed as a major victory in the years-long fight. She argues that the trustees’ actions were dangerous precedent by acting as an arm of the Sussex PR operation.
“I said no, we are setting a precedent by which we become an extension of the Sussex PR machine.” – Sophie Chandauka
The conflict has robbed trust and confidence in Chandauka’s leadership. Now, activists and community members around the country are calling on her to change her mind. Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso recently announced their decision to step down as Patrons of Sentebale. In fact, they cited a lack of trust as their basis for pulling out.
“These trustees acted in the best interest of the charity in asking the chair to step down, while keeping the wellbeing of staff in mind.” – Harry and Prince Seeiso
“In turn, she sued the charity to remain in this voluntary position, further underscoring the broken relationship.” – Harry and Prince Seeiso
The trustees’ concerns were echoed by several board members, who described the situation as “devastating” and attributed it to their “loss in trust and confidence in the chair of the board.”
“result of our loss in trust and confidence in the chair of the board” – Timothy Boucher, Mark Dyer, Audrey Kgosidintsi, Dr Kelello Lerotholi, and Damian West
For all the excitement though, Chandauka insists that beyond the drama there are important issues to discuss, which still haven’t been satisfactorily tackled. She advocates that these deep-rooted issues have limited the organization’s space to diversify and do its best work towards realizing its mission.
“When you start to interview people, they are asking questions about, well, these mixed messages about its patron.” – Sophie Chandauka
“had an impact on the charity’s ability to diversify” – Sophie Chandauka
