Prince Harry made a heartbreaking announcement in a joint statement with fellow Royal.
The Duke of Sussex announced on Tuesday, March 26, that he has officially resigned from his charity Sentebale amid "unthinkable controversy", which Harry co-founded with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho twenty years ago.
In a joint statement, the Royal-duo confirmed that they have stepped down from their positions of Sentebale co-founders, a charity they started in 2006 in honour of their respective mothers.
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Expressing their feelings on the shocking decision the Prince of Lesotho and the duke noted, "Nearly twenty years ago, we founded Sentebale in honour of our mothers. Sentebale means 'forget-me-not' in Sesotho, the local language of Lesotho, and it’s what we've always promised for the young people we've served through this charity."
They continued, "Today is no different. With heavy hearts, we have resigned from our roles as Patrons of the organisation until further notice, in support of and solidarity with the board of trustees who have had to do the same."
"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," they added.
As reported by The Times, Sentebale is now the subject of a Charity Commission investigation.
Prince Harry and Seeiso's untimely resignation comes amid the reports that the charity's chair of the board of trustees, Sophie Chandauka is suing the trustees after refusing to step down from her position.
Additionally she has also been forcing the charity's former trustees to step down from their roles, including one of Harry's lifelong friends, Mark Dyer.
Extending their support to the former trustees Harry and Seeiso added, "We thank all the trustees for their service over the years and are truly heartbroken they've had to follow through with this act."
They continued, "What's transpired is unthinkable. We are in shock that we have to do this, but we have a continued responsibility to Sentebale's beneficiaries, so we will be sharing all of our concerns with the Charity Commission as to how this came about."
"Although we may no longer be Patrons, we will always be its founders, and we will never forget what this charity is capable of achieving when it is in the right care," they added.
Sentebale former trustees joint statement
Sentebale's former trustees, Timothy Boucher, Mark Dyer, Audrey Kgosidintsi, Dr Kelello Lerotholi, and Damian West released a joint statement on Tuesday, which read, "As a group of British and African trustees, we have made the difficult decision to unanimously resign as board members of Sentebale."
Appreciating the efforts of both princes, they noted, "We are deeply proud to have supported the visionary work of the Founding Patrons Prince Seeiso and Prince Harry, who founded Sentebale in memory of their mothers."
"For two decades, Sentebale has championed hundreds of thousands of children and young people, providing them with care, training and life skills, which not only benefit each individual child they support, but their families and their communities as a whole," their statement added.
They went on to express, "Today's decision is nothing short of devastating for all of us, but we see no other path forward as the result of our loss in trust and confidence in the Chair of the board."
"Our priority has always been, and will always be, what's in the best interest of the charity, and it's desperately sad the breakdown in relationship escalated to a lawsuit by the Chair against the charity, to block us from voting her out after our request for her resignation was rejected," added the former trustees.
"We could not in good conscience allow Sentebale to undertake that legal and financial burden and have been left with no other option but to vacate our positions. This was not a choice willingly made, but rather something we felt forced into in order to look after the charity.
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They concluded their joint statement noting, "Our sincere hope is that with this decision, the road ahead steadies for the sake of our staff and the communities we serve. Sentebale is simply too important to us."
About Sentebale
Sentebale is a South African charitable organization which supports young people in Lesotho and Botswana living with or suffering from HIV, through its wide-ranged programmes and purpose-built centre.
To note, The Duke of Sussex last visited Sentebale in 2024 during his solo trip to Lesotho and South Africa.
