In a sensational escalation of tensions, the boss at Prince Harry’s charity Sentebale has accused the royal of “harassment and bullying at scale” in a scathing interview with Sky News.
Sophie Chandauka, a high-profile lawyer and former in-house counsel at Meta and JP Morgan, described a toxic working relationship with Prince Harry at Sentebale—a charity he co-founded in memory of his mother to support children affected by HIV and AIDS in Africa—that ultimately led to his sudden departure this week.
In the bombshell Trevor Phillips on Sunday interview, Chandauka detailed a series of damaging incidents—including one in which Harry’s demands cost the team the use of a key Miami venue for a charity polo event. Just a month before the high-profile fundraiser, Prince Harry announced he was bringing a Netflix crew to film for his poorly received series Polo.
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“We were told the Duke wanted to bring cameras to the event,” Chandauka said. “I explained this couldn’t be done without securing consent from the venue, sponsors, and guests—none of whom had agreed to be in a Netflix show. The venue then deemed it a commercial event and presented new terms. We couldn’t afford them, so we lost the venue.”
She also spoke about widely circulated footage from April of last year that appeared to show Meghan Markle instructing Chandauka to switch positions on stage during a trophy presentation.
Chandauka explained that Prince Harry had made a last-minute decision to bring Markle and one of her celebrity friends, throwing the stage choreography into disarray. “We would’ve been excited had we known in advance,” she said. But the lack of planning led to confusion that was captured by the international press.
Chandauka revealed that Harry later asked her to issue a public statement defending Markle’s behavior, which she refused to do. “Not because I didn’t care about the Duchess,” she said, “but because I knew the fallout that would follow. We are not an extension of the Sussexes.”
Tensions reached breaking point when Harry publicly announced his resignation from Sentebale this week, blaming internal issues on Chandauka and claiming others had quit due to her leadership.
Chandauka told Sky she was blindsided: “The only reason I’m here... is because at some point on Tuesday, Prince Harry authorised the release of a damaging piece of news to the outside world without informing me or my country directors, or my executive director.
“And can you imagine what that attack has done for me, on me and the 540 individuals in the Sentebale organisations and their family? That is an example of harassment and bullying at scale,” she added.
Chandauka claimed that bullying took place in a meeting and that she could prove it.
“There were board meetings where members of the executive team and external strategic advisors were sending me messages saying: ‘Should I interrupt? Should I stop this? Oh my gosh, this is so bad,‘” she said.
Chandauka also accused the Duke of “grandstanding” and claimed he wanted to destroy the charity only to later return as its savior. Despite the fallout, she remained defiant, saying, “I will not be pushed around.”
The extraordinary feud casts a long shadow over Sentebale, once a pillar of Prince Harry’s philanthropic identity, now marred by internal conflict and public acrimony.
Prince Harry’s team has been contacted for comment.
King Charles cancels foreign holidays
The king has pulled out of two foreign holidays as a result of his cancer diagnosis, reports say. The Sun says he was due to join Camilla at an African spa resort and to go on a walking holiday in Romania, but both have now been canceled. Fears for the king’s health ramped up this week after he was admitted to the hospital.
An insider said: “Charles is a hardworking King, but he needs and deserves occasional time off. It was unfortunate that he couldn’t fly with Camilla, as it was hoped they could have a well-earned break together.
“He adores Romania and looks forward to visiting every year, but it would have involved just too much walking and he can’t face it right now.”
